When we think about trust, we naturally think about personal
relationships or bank vaults. That's too narrow. Trust is much
broader, and much more important. Nothing in society works without
trust. It's the foundation of communities, commerce, democracy-everything.
In this insightful and entertaining book, Schneier weaves together
ideas from across the social and biological sciences to explain how
society induces trust. He shows how trust works and fails in social
settings, communities, organizations, countries, and the world.
In today's hyper-connected society, understanding the mechanisms of
trust is as important as understanding electricity was a century ago.
Issues of trust and security are critical to solving problems as
diverse as corporate responsibility, global warming, and our moribund
political system. After reading Liars and Outliers, you'll think about
social problems, large and small, differently.
AUTHOR BIO
BRUCE SCHNEIER is an internationally renowned security
technologist who studies the human side of security. He is the author
of eleven books; and hundreds of articles, essays, and academic
papers. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on
television and radio, and is regularly quoted in the press. His blog
and monthly newsletter at www. schneier. com reach over devoted
250,000 devoted readers world-wide.
"The closest thing the security industry has to a rock
star."
-The Register
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR LIARS AND OUTLIERS
"A rich, insightfully fresh take on what security really
means!"
-DAVID ROPEIK, Author of How Risky is it, Really?
"Schneier has accomplished a spectacular tour de force: an
enthralling ride through history, economics, and psychology, searching
for the meanings of trust and security. A must
read."
-ALESSANDRO ACQUISTI, Associate Professor of
Information Systems and Public Policy at the Heinz College, Carnegie
Mellon University
"Liars and Outliers offers a major contribution to the
understandability of these issues, and has the potential to help
readers cope with the ever-increasing risks to which we are being
exposed. It is well written and delightful to
read."
-PETER G. NEUMANN, Principal Scientist in
the SRI International Computer Science Laboratory
"Whether it's banks versus robbers, Hollywood versus
downloaders, or even the Iranian secret police against democracy
activists, security is often a dynamic struggle between a majority who
want to impose their will, and a minority who want to push the
boundaries. Liars and Outliers will change how you think about
conflict, our security, and even who we are."
-ROSS
ANDERSON, Professor of Security Engineering at Cambridge
University and author of Security Engineering
"Readers of Bruce Schneier's Liars and Outliers will
better understand technology and its consequences and become more
mature practitioners."
-PABLO G. MOLINA, Professor of
Technology Management, Georgetown University
"Liars & Outliers is not just a book about
security-it is the book about it. Schneier shows that the power of
humour can be harnessed to explore even a serious subject such as
security. A great read!"
-FRANK FUREDI, author of
On Tolerance: A Defence of Moral Independence
"This fascinating book gives an insightful and convincing
framework for understanding security and trust."
-JEFF
YAN, Founding Research Director, Center for Cybercrime and
Computer Security, Newcastle University
"By analyzing the moving parts and interrelationships among
security, trust, and society, Schneier has identifi ed critical
patterns, pressures, levers, and security holes within society.
Clearly written, thoroughly interdisciplinary, and always smart,
Liars and Outliers provides great insight into resolving
society's various dilemmas."
-JERRY KANG, Professor
of Law, UCLA
"By keeping the social dimension of trust and security in the
center of his analysis, Schneier breaks new ground with an approach
that both theoretically grounded and practically
applicable."
-JONATHAN ZITTRAIN, Professor of Law
and Computer Science, Harvard University and author of The Future
of the Internet-And How to Stop It
"Eye opening. Bruce Schneier provides a perspective you need to
understand today's world."
-STEVEN A. LEBLANC,
Director of Collections, Harvard University and author of Constant
Battles: Why We Fight
"An outstanding investigation of the importance of trust in
holding society together and promoting progress. Liars and
Outliers provides valuable new insights into security and
economics."
-ANDREW ODLYZKO, Professor, School of
Mathematics, University of Minnesota
"What Schneier has to say about trust-and betrayal-lays a
groundwork for greater understanding of human institutions. This is an
essential exploration as society grows in size and
complexity."
-JIM HARPER, Director of Information
Policy Studies, CATO Institute and author of Identity Crisis: How
Identification is Overused and Misunderstood
"Society runs on trust. Liars and Outliers explains the
trust gaps we must fill to help society run even
better."
-M. ERIC JOHNSON, Director,
Glassmeyer/McNamee Center for Digital Strategies, Tuck School of
Business at Dartmouth College
"An intellectually exhilarating and compulsively readable
analysis of the subtle dialectic between cooperation and defection in
human society. Intellectually rigorous and yet written in a lively,
conversational style, Liars and Outliers will change the way
you see the world."
-DAVID LIVINGSTONE SMITH, author
of Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others
"Schneier tackles trust head on, bringing all his intellect and
a huge amount of research to bear. The best thing about this book,
though, is that it's great fun to read."
-ANDREW
MCAFEE, Principal Research Scientist, MIT Center for Digital
Business and co-author of Race Against the Machine
"Bruce Schneier is our leading expert in security. But his book
is about much more than reducing risk. It is a fascinating,
thought-provoking treatise about humanity and society and how we
interact in the game called life."
-JEFF JARVIS,
author of Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the
Way We Work and Live
"Both accessible and thought provoking, Liars and
Outliers invites readers to move beyond fears and anxieties about
security in modern life to understand the role of everyday people in
creating a healthy society. This is a must-read!"
-DANAH
BOYD, Research Assistant Professor in Media, Culture, and
Communication at New York University
"Trust is the sine qua non of the networked age and trust is
predicated on security. Bruce Schneier's expansive and readable work
is rich with insights that can help us make our shrinking world a
better one."
-DON TAPSCOTT, co-author of
Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business
and the World
"An engaging and wide-ranging rumination on what makes society
click. Highly recommended."
-JOHN MUELLER, author of
Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate
National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them
BRUCE SCHNEIER is an internationally renowned
security technologist who studies the human side of security. A
prolific author, he has written hundreds of articles, essays, and
academic papers, as well as eleven books that together have sold more
than 400,000 copies. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent
guest on television and radio, and is regularly quoted in the press.
His blog and monthly newsletter at www. schneier. com reach over
250,000 devoted readers worldwide.
"The closest thing the
security industry has to a rock star."
-The Register
