This chapter discusses mediation: the mechanism by which a cause leads to an effect. The authors discuss the work of Barbara Stoddard Burks on the causes of intelligence of children, the 'algebra for all' policy by Chicago public schools, and the use of tourniquets to treat combat wounds. This chapter introduces the idea of confounding and describes how causal diagrams can be used to identify confounding variables and determine their effect. Pearl explains that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can be used to nullify the effect of confounders, but shows that, provided one has a causal model of confounding, an RCT does not necessarily have to be performed to get results.

Why make an encyclopedia around the question "why?". Well, why not? Sometimes kids asking "why" is the fastest way to understand the world around them. Berger’s surprising findings reveal that even though children start out asking hundreds of questions a day, questioning “falls off a cliff” as kids enter school. In an education and business culture devised to reward rote answers over challenging inquiry, questioning isn’t encouraged—and, in fact, is sometimes barely tolerated. And most important, how can each of us re-ignite that questioning spark—and use inquiry as a powerful means to rethink and reinvent our lives?People can answer the ‘favorite book’ question with a one-word answer, but if you ask for the impact of that book and the reason behind the impact, people will have way more to tell. This book is a must read for any prospective Chemistry student or anyone thinking of studying Chemistry. It was actually recommended to me by a current Chemistry student at the Oxford Open Day.

If the story is set in an unusual world – such as a fantasy universe or an exciting corner of our actual here-and-now – how will you satisfy the reader’s special curiosity about this place? Question Your Methods In University, I took a linguistic course as an elective. As a young naive, overwhelmed student, who was relentless in her search to get in to her PhD of choice, I skimmed the course, without taking in any of the content, simply cramming before an exam. I often reflect on the breadth of knowledge I overlooked in that course. This book more than made up for it. And I gave it my whole attention. Berger makes great use of both historical and contemporary examples of educators, innovators and business moguls who, by taking time to ask pointed questions of themselves and their respective industries, have both broadened their understandings of challenging situations and expanded the range of positive possibilities.... A practical testament to the significance of the questioning mind.” Berger takes the idea of questioning and tries it from just about every angle. Why you would ask questions, how to ask them, how to come up with good questions, what to do with good ones when you find them...all very good and actionable advice on how to approach learning and doing creatively.

About the Author

And yet, as Berger shows, the most creative, successful people tend to be expert questioners. They’ve mastered the art of inquiry, raising questions no one else is asking—and finding the answers everyone else is seeking. The author takes us inside red-hot businesses like Google, Netflix, IDEO, and Airbnb to show how questioning is baked into their organizational DNA. He also shares dozens of inspiring stories of artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, basement tinkerers, and social activists who changed their lives and the world around them—by starting with a “beautiful question.” Yay! You are embarking on an incredibly fun, exciting, fulfilling journey. But before writing, there are a few important steps you need to take to get yourself—and your story—ready. What’s motivating them to go forward in the story? Not to be confused with the character’s goal, their motivation is the force driving them toward that goal. (In other words, the goal is what they want; the motivation is why they want it). It could be a basic physiological need, necessary for survival; it could be a desire for something bigger, like love, belonging, or achievement. Whatever their motivation, it must be powerful enough to drive all of their decisions and actions in the story. This deep, human need will be what powers your protagonist to overcome the internal and external conflict in pursuit of their goal. This chapter examines the third rung of the ladder of causation: counterfactuals. The chapter introduces 'structural causal models', which allow reasoning about counterfactuals in a way that traditional (non-causal) statistics does not. Then, the applications of counterfactual reasoning are explored in the areas of climate science and the law.

And there you have it—a comprehensive guide to what you need to know before writing a book. Preparing for such a momentous task can be overwhelming, but when you zoom out and look at the big picture, there really are just a handful of things you need to get started: a winning idea, a well-developed protagonist, a thoughtfully curated plot, and a point you want to get across. Chances are, you already have some piece of that—whether it’s the inkling of an idea for a plot, a character, or even just an image of a gorgeous setting. I have a moderate interest in linguistics but am by no means an expert. I took one class in college as part of my English major and listen to the Lingthusiasm podcast (though much of it goes over my head), but I haven't really made a deep dive into the subject. This book hit just the right range of knowledge for someone like me. I usually had heard the opening anecdote or theory of the chapter, but then the author would go further into the subject with examples and extensions I hadn't heard before. This book reminded me of What If? by Randall Munroe (of xkcd fame), but for linguistics instead of science. From the difficulties of how to define a word or language to the vagaries of English spelling quirks, there's a little bit of every kind of linguistic knowledge to be found here. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on why languages have gender. It's a relevant issue to modern times and has more advantages than those of us in a non-gendered language would think. As you think about these major plot points, consider cause and effect. How does each part of the story affect your protagonist, influencing their decisions and behaviors and leading to the next plot point? Make logical next steps. In an amazing TED Talk by Ken Robinson (watched 31 million times), he speaks about how schools kill creativity. Schools rate kids on set criteria (sometimes measuring a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree) and frankly prepare them for a world that is long gone. When kids go to school the amount of questions they ask drops radically. Kids are taught to memorize lists, not think critically. This chapter examines several paradoxes, including the Monty Hall Problem, Simpson's paradox, Berkson's paradox and Lord's paradox. The authors show how these paradoxes can be resolved using causal reasoning.Why don't eleven and twelve end in -teen? The rest of our counting system sits in neatly arithmetical sets of ten, so why do these two rulebreakers seem so at odds with the numbers that follow them? How will you ensure the scenario has enough range so that it will be satisfyingly long? You don't want to run out of steam within a couple of chapters. We know that the art of asking questions is at the heart of discovery in science, philosophy, medicine—so why don’t we extend that power to all areas of our lives? The questions Warren Berger raises in A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION are thoughtful, provocative, odd, serious, and silly, but in every case they are indeed the kind of ‘beautiful questions’ that can help us identify the right problems and generate creative solutions.” I would definitely recommend this book as it is interesting to get to the bottom of the mysteries, helped with A2 Chemistry and gave me some material for my Oxford interview. We think of Hangry as a modern word but it was first used in 1913 by the author Arthur Ransome to describe an elephant.

Science had always really appealed to me, but I had very little idea which course I wanted to do until Year 12. A More Beautiful Question — The Book We’re all hungry today for better answers. But first, we must learn to ask the right questions. Humans are naturally wired to seek simple cause and effect stories. If A then B. If we change A this way then B changes that way. Also think about how each scene relates to your point, or the emotional core of your story. What happens in each scene, and why does it matter to your character? What effect does it have on them, and how does it build toward that internal transformation, the character arc that your novel is really all about? Some of the most extraordinary, cutting-edge linguistic research and experimentation is used to bring our understanding of linguistics right up to date.Idea: We’ll go over how to explore your idea and make sure you’ve nailed down your central conflict and point. While this is not specifically aimed at educators, a great deal of learning can occur when we direct students to consider questions rather than answers. In education there is usually a right and a wrong answer. If we are preparing learners to succeed in the 'real world' then we need to ensure they know how to ask questions. This book gets you started on considering questions. Instead of giving tests the only measure one's ability to memorize, give tests that allow learners to pose and answer questions. In life we should never stop questioning. As a bunch of different old dudes have said, in slightly different variations, “Preparation is the key to success.” Of course, every writer is different, and you might prep differently depending on your writing process—but if you’re feeling overwhelmed before starting to write, taking some time to develop a plan can help you go into your first draft with confidence. There's something cosily appealing about looking into why we use the (mostly written) word in a particular way, which Paul Anthony Jones does in this entertainingly readable little book. It might not interest everyone, but if you are into books (and particularly if, like me, you're a writer), this should be on your wishlist.