Tim Harford
Economist and journalist; Financial Times columnist as The Undercover Economist, author of How to Make the World Add Up, and presenter of the Cautionary Tales podcast.
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What they believe
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People's behavior is generally predictable rather than random.
No supercomputing was required: Shannon's machine had just 16 bits of memory. We humans are not hard to read.
timharford.comSaid 24 Sept 2026This on korrents
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A society's commitment to truth-telling matters because most individual beliefs are inherited from the surrounding society rather than independently verified
First, if most of our beliefs are handed to us by the society in which we live, it is vital that our society itself values truth and truth-telling.
timharford.comSaid 17 Sept 2026This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
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From one piece Random is as random does 3 beliefs · timharford.com
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Their words
None of these methods guarantees success, but they do improve your odds because most setters of multiple-choice questions are more predictable than they realise.
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korrents.com
A tossed coin is more likely to land on the same face it started on than on the opposite face.Their words
Persi Diaconis, celebrated both as a mathematician and magician, has found that a coin toss is, in general, a 51/49 proposition in favour of finishing the same way up that it started.
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Their words
No supercomputing was required: Shannon's machine had just 16 bits of memory. We humans are not hard to read.
18 September
17 September
From one piece Why the story of the Vegetable Lamb was believed 2 beliefs · timharford.com
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korrents.com
It is worthwhile to pause and think critically about what other people tell you before accepting itTheir words
Second, it is never a bad idea to stop and think for a moment about what other people tell you.
Why the story of the Vegetable Lamb was believedtimharford.com
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Their words
First, if most of our beliefs are handed to us by the society in which we live, it is vital that our society itself values truth and truth-telling.
Why the story of the Vegetable Lamb was believedtimharford.com
11 September
10 September
From one piece Nudge or tax? At last, some data 2 beliefs · timharford.com
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Their words
All too often, politicians are turning their back on the most beneficial policies because they lack the political courage or the political skill to introduce them.
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korrents.com
Serious policy reform requires changing regulations or the tax system, not just behavioural nudges.Their words
I've also argued that while nudges can be quick, easy and effective, serious policy action usually requires a change to regulations or the tax system.
4 September
3 September
From one piece The Big Power of Small Annoyances 3 beliefs · timharford.com
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korrents.com
Turning a game into a means to a broader purpose risks destroying the fun that makes it a game.Their words
After all, if a game takes on a broader purpose then it risks no longer being fun. And a game that is no fun isn't much of a game.
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Their words
In short: the awkward group did better but believed they did worse.
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Their words
The irony is that gamification is a brittle imitation of an actual game.
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Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 10 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
People's behavior is generally predictable rather than random.
No supercomputing was required: Shannon's machine had just 16 bits of memory. We humans are not hard to read.
Random is as random does Said 24 Sept 2026
A tossed coin is more likely to land on the same face it started on than on the opposite face.
Persi Diaconis, celebrated both as a mathematician and magician, has found that a coin toss is, in general, a 51/49 proposition in favour of finishing the same way up that it started.
Random is as random does Said 24 Sept 2026
Most multiple-choice test question writers are more predictable than they think.
None of these methods guarantees success, but they do improve your odds because most setters of multiple-choice questions are more predictable than they realise.
Random is as random does Said 24 Sept 2026
Show 7 more
A society's commitment to truth-telling matters because most individual beliefs are inherited from the surrounding society rather than independently verified
First, if most of our beliefs are handed to us by the society in which we live, it is vital that our society itself values truth and truth-telling.
Why the story of the Vegetable Lamb was believed Said 17 Sept 2026
It is worthwhile to pause and think critically about what other people tell you before accepting it
Second, it is never a bad idea to stop and think for a moment about what other people tell you.
Why the story of the Vegetable Lamb was believed Said 17 Sept 2026
Serious policy reform requires changing regulations or the tax system, not just behavioural nudges.
I've also argued that while nudges can be quick, easy and effective, serious policy action usually requires a change to regulations or the tax system.
Nudge or tax? At last, some data Said 10 Sept 2026
Politicians often avoid the most beneficial policies because they lack the political courage or skill to introduce them.
All too often, politicians are turning their back on the most beneficial policies because they lack the political courage or the political skill to introduce them.
Nudge or tax? At last, some data Said 10 Sept 2026
Gamification is a brittle imitation of a real game, not an equivalent to it.
The irony is that gamification is a brittle imitation of an actual game.
The Big Power of Small Annoyances Said 3 Sept 2026
A team performs better when an outsider introduces social friction, even though the group believes it performed worse.
In short: the awkward group did better but believed they did worse.
The Big Power of Small Annoyances Said 3 Sept 2026
Turning a game into a means to a broader purpose risks destroying the fun that makes it a game.
After all, if a game takes on a broader purpose then it risks no longer being fun. And a game that is no fun isn't much of a game.
The Big Power of Small Annoyances Said 3 Sept 2026
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 13 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Liked Anthro-Vision
Gillian Tett, Anthro-Vision – my colleague Gillian Tett makes the case for thinking like an anthropologist in business and in life. The description of how KitKats took Japan by storm is a particular delight.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
affiliate link
Loved The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything
Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry, The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything – just delightful, wide-ranging stuff from the surely best science-communication double-act in the world. The perfect gift for the nerd in your life.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
affiliate link
What others say about The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything →
Liked Rationality
Steven Pinker, Rationality – the joy of this book (other than Pinker’s playful wit) is the sheer range.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Show 10 more
Liked A World Without Email
Cal Newport, A World Without Email – this is marketed as a self-help book by a self-help guy, but it’s much more than that.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked Extra Life
Steven Johnson, Extra Life – Johnson explores the astonishing expansion in life expectancy over the last two hundred years, and asks how we measure it and who – and what – deserves the credit. Wide ranging and a pleasure to read.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked Think Again
Adam Grant, Think Again – Grant is always witty and humane, but assembles a terrific range of ideas and research to analyse and overcome the obstacles to rethinking our own views and (even harder) persuading others to rethink theirs.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked The Bomber Mafia
Malcolm Gladwell, The Bomber Mafia – Gladwell’s podcast company Pushkin publishes my Cautionary Tales podcast, but is also experimenting with ‘enhanced audiobooks’. This is their first attempt and it’s a cracker.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked The Scout Mindset
Julia Galef, The Scout Mindset – A charming and original contribution to the genre on being open-minded and curious. Great stories and ideas, alongside a serious argument for the virtues of exploring rather than defending ideas.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked Shape
Jordan Ellenberg, Shape – A really fun, witty exploration of ideas in geometry and their surprisingly wide-ranging application.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Liked Four Thousand Weeks
Burkeman’s book is one of the hits of the summer and deservedly so.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
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Loved The Art of More
Michael Brooks, The Art of More – The history of how ideas in mathematics (such as algebra, geometry, statistics and accountancy) helped to shape the modern world. Given my own predelictions I was delighted with this book.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
affiliate link
Liked The Art of Fairness
David Bodanis, The Art of Fairness – A delightful and moving exploration of nice guys, nasty guys, and what it takes to succeed without being a jerk.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
affiliate link
Loved The Man From the Future
Ananyo Bhattacharya, The Man From the Future – A biography not only of the genius’s genius, John von Neumann, but also of von Neumann’s ideas and influence, which are nearly impossible to exaggerate. Serious and brilliantly-written.
timharford.com 22 Nov 2021
affiliate link
Where they publish
Site timharford.com His site, collecting his FT columns, books and podcast.
Recent
- Cautionary Tales – A Tale of Blood and Ashes: The Exeter Vampires 16 Oct 2026 In 1800s America, something terrifying is feeding on the quiet town of Exeter. As members of George Brown’s family succumb one by one, the town considers drastic measures to protect the living from the dead. Members of…
- AI can forecast the future. Should we let it? 15 Oct 2026 In the 1980s, the psychologist Philip Tetlock was struck by the fact that highly respected, highly credentialed geopolitical analysts often disagreed quite fundamentally about how the cold war was going, and what the fu…
- Cautionary Tales – What’s the Frequency, Zenith? The Great Telepathy Experiment 13 Oct 2026 Every Sunday, in 1937, people all across American tune in to a strange broadcast. The Zenith Foundation is attempting an ambitious parapsychology experiment to test whether telepathy is real. The results are extraordina…
Show 7 more
- Some weekend recommendations 10 Oct 2026 A miscellany for your delectation. “Tomorrow, I will be going across channels with zero views, going into their chat, and pumping people up.” But it might not end up quite how you expect… Amygdala, a short film by Joe E…
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- Is the modern economy a bit… samey? 8 Oct 2026 Last week’s column, with the aid of a pink romantasy bookshop, discussed the way a healthy economy offers “disciplined pluralism”. Discipline means that sooner or later, uneconomic ideas fail. Pluralism means that many…
- Cautionary Tales – The Mummy’s Curse (Halloween Classic) 2 Oct 2026 One hundred years ago, on 16th February 1923, the Tomb of the Pharaoh Tutenkhamun was officially opened. Disturbing the remains of the Egyptian pharaohs is known to incur a deadly curse, so why did a team of archeologis…
- I was wrong about Bad Girl Books 1 Oct 2026 There are some ideas so self-evidently bad that as you see the seeds being sown, it’s all you can do to restrain yourself from staging an intervention. So it was with Bad Girl Books, which earlier this year announced pl…
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- Random is as random does 24 Sept 2026 In the genius’s playground that was Bell Labs in the 1950s, Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, built an outguessing machine. The machine’s task was simple: a human would choose one of two levers, left or…
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
x.com @TimHarford His X account.
Recent
- Very excited to read this. Best book title ever? 19 Oct 2026 link.amazon
- A Tale of Blood and Ashes - The Exeter Vampires (Cautionary Tales Halloween Season continues...) 16 Oct 2026
- AI can forecast the future. Should we ask it to? 15 Oct 2026 timharford.com
Show 17 more
- Why the Nobel foundation could usefully express a little more self-doubt 14 Oct 2026 as.ft.com
- What's the frequency, Zenith? The Great Telepathy Experiment. (Cautionary Club exclusive - new Halloween episode drops on the main feed on Friday) 13 Oct 2026
- Made it - a really fun run with 15,000 inspiring fellow runners and great support too. Thank you so much to everyone who kindly donated money to a good cause. 11 Oct 2026
- The run is tomorrow. Wish me luck! 10 Oct 2026
- Some weekend recommendations 10 Oct 2026 timharford.com
- Cautionary Tales – When Aliens Landed in Wiltshire 9 Oct 2026
- No idea if this is a good sign or not, but I pinged awake at five this morning full of ideas about what I might say. If you're in or can get to Birmingham on 9 November, come along and learn the secrets of happiness! 9 Oct 2026 birmingham.ac.uk
- Is the modern economy a bit... samey? 8 Oct 2026
- AI Lessons from your affectionate uncle, SCREWTAPE 7 Oct 2026 as.ft.com
- The race is on Sunday - wish me luck! Any further donations very very welcome. Thank you so much to all the people (many anonymous) who have pledged their hard-earned already. It's so kind. 5 Oct 2026
- Cautionary Tales is going all in on Halloween, with spooooky new episodes each week this month. As a palate-cleanser, however, one of my all-time favourite episodes: The Mummy's Curse! 2 Oct 2026
- I was wrong about Bad Girl Books 1 Oct 2026
- The sewing machine. The washing machine. The dishwasher. Which technologies truly liberate us from drudgery? 30 Sept 2026 as.ft.com
- Cautionary Tales - When Muhammad Ali Met Henry's Hammer 25 Sept 2026
- Random is as random does https://t.co/i03VHpBbzo (Photo: the Diaconis coin flipping machine.) 24 Sept 2026
- "They should have thrown away their graphs and hired a science-fiction writer." 23 Sept 2026 as.ft.com
- How a broken arm improved my French - with @DavidEpstein 18 Sept 2026
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
YouTube @RandomEconomist His YouTube channel.
Recent
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
Podcast Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Hosts the Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast.
Recent
- A Tale of Blood and Ashes: The Exeter Vampires | Halloween Season 16 Oct 2026
- When Aliens Landed in Wiltshire | Halloween Season 9 Oct 2026
- The Mummy's Curse (Halloween Classic) 2 Oct 2026
Show 17 more
- When Muhammad Ali Met Henry’s Hammer 25 Sept 2026
- How a Broken Arm Improved my French - with David Epstein 18 Sept 2026
- Talent, Time and Money: The Curse of General Magic 11 Sept 2026
- Evel Knievel Faces the Abyss 4 Sept 2026
- Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida 28 Aug 2026
- The DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drugs and Marty McFly's Car - with Business History 21 Aug 2026
- Proceed with Caution - Pascal's Guide to Podcasts 14 Aug 2026
- The Weight of Fame: A Hollywood Tragedy 7 Aug 2026
- Arsenic and Lace: The Trial of the Yorkshire Witch - with Maddy Pelling 31 Jul 2026
- The Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise 24 Jul 2026
- "What a Bloody Mess we're in" - Britain's [REDACTED] Accident 17 Jul 2026
- Attack of the Night People 10 Jul 2026
- LIVE: We Are Not Machines - with Sarah O'Connor 3 Jul 2026
- Treacle Tears: The Boston Molasses Disaster 26 Jun 2026
- The Thief, the Jewels, and the Dublin Castle Conspiracy 19 Jun 2026
- The Dunning Canoe-ger Effect 12 Jun 2026
- How Civilizations Die - with Paul Cooper 5 Jun 2026
Link verified 25 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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Some people here publish in a language other than English. Where they do, this site shows a machine translation beneath the post, in this typeface — the site's own, not theirs.
The post itself is never changed, moved or hidden: what is set in the serif above is exactly what the person published, and it is what to quote them on. A translation can be wrong in ways that matter, especially about tone.
Only the post's own words are translated. A quoted post, a linked article and a belief on korrents.com are left in their original language.