IRB: Freakonomics

Freakonomics  by Steven D. Levitt takes a fresh perspective on the modern world's crime, sports, and parenting, in what feels similar to my first marking period's IRB, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell's review is on the cover of the book, demonstrating the similarities in writing style, primary audience, and topic to Gladwell's works. In the first chapter of Freakonomics, Levitt discusses incentives, particularly in the realm of "cheating teachers."

The primary rhetorical device is the use of statistics to appeal to the audience's sense of logic. For example, on page 22 Levitt uses a chart to demonstrates the drop in crime as society has advanced. To demonstrate crime, he uses the statistics for average number of homicides per 1000 people in several European countries for each century, because as he notes, "[homicide] is both the most reliably measured crime and the best barometer of a society's overall crime rate." This effectively demonstrates his claims in a credible, irrefutable manner. Using statistics is a way of saying to the audience "this is why I am correct in my statement. There is no arguing these facts." In this sense, it was a very effective choice to use these statistics early on in the book, as it establishes Levitt's credibility as a thinker and a writer, so the audience is more likely to agree with his other findings later on.