Viktor Mayer-Schönberger Books

In the past, analysis was a matter of compromise. A scientist, marketer, or policymaker would base decisions on subsets—samples drawn carefully to represent the whole. But those samples were limited, inevitably incomplete. In contrast, big data allows us to consider entire datasets, encompassing mil...

From Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think

For centuries, science and philosophy pursued causation—the search for why things happen. We sought mechanisms, explanations, and rational structures. Big data challenges this model by shifting attention toward patterns of correlation, toward what happens rather than why. When Amazon recommends pro...

From Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think

Framing is the silent force behind every human judgment. Before we weigh options or analyze data, we must first decide what the problem even is—that is the act of framing. In this sense, frames are mental blueprints that define where our attention falls and what we exclude. They are neither objectiv...

From Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil

The rise of big data and artificial intelligence tempts us to believe that with enough information, any problem can be solved. Yet this vision is incomplete. Data informs decisions, but it does not define the questions worth asking. Algorithms rely on historical inputs; they are inherently backward-...

From Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil