--- product_id: 63645279 title: "Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing" price: "€ 39.36" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/63645279-nonsense-the-power-of-not-knowing store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing **Price:** € 39.36 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing - **How much does it cost?** € 39.36 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/63645279-nonsense-the-power-of-not-knowing) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description An illuminating look at the surprising upside of ambiguity--and how, properly harnessed, it can inspire learning, creativity, even empathy Life today feels more overwhelming and chaotic than ever. Whether it's a confounding work problem or a faltering relationship or an unclear medical diagnosis, we face constant uncertainty. And we're continually bombarded with information, much of it contradictory. Managing ambiguity--in our jobs, our relationships, and daily lives--is quickly becoming an essential skill. Yet most of us don't know where to begin. As Jamie Holmes shows in Nonsense , being confused is unpleasant, so we tend to shutter our minds as we grasp for meaning and stability, especially in stressful circumstances. We're hard-wired to resolve contradictions quickly and extinguish anomalies. This can be useful, of course. When a tiger is chasing you, you can't be indecisive. But as Nonsense reveals, our need for closure has its own dangers. It makes us stick to our first answer, which is not always the best, and it makes us search for meaning in the wrong places. When we latch onto fast and easy truths, we lose a vital opportunity to learn something new, solve a hard problem, or see the world from another perspective. In other words, confusion--that uncomfortable mental place--has a hidden upside. We just need to know how to use it. This lively and original book points the way. Over the last few years, new insights from social psychology and cognitive science have deepened our understanding of the role of ambiguity in our lives and Holmes brings this research together for the first time, showing how we can use uncertainty to our advantage. Filled with illuminating stories--from spy games and doomsday cults to Absolut Vodka's ad campaign and the creation of Mad Libs-- Nonsense promises to transform the way we conduct business, educate our children, and make decisions. In an increasingly unpredictable, complex world, it turns out that what matters most isn't IQ, willpower, or confidence in what we know. It's how we deal with what we don't understand. Review: Five Stars - Good txn Review: Very mind provoking, but a bit rambling at times ... - Very mind provoking, but a bit rambling at times. However the answer to one of the problems posed would only be correct in a US context as our plugs will not fit. Read the book and you will understand what I mean! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 2,239,587 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 15,507 in Higher Education of Biological Sciences | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 212 Reviews | ## Images ![Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZMQMxBASL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars *by B***T on 28 January 2017* Good txn ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very mind provoking, but a bit rambling at times ... *by F***R on 17 December 2015* Very mind provoking, but a bit rambling at times. However the answer to one of the problems posed would only be correct in a US context as our plugs will not fit. Read the book and you will understand what I mean! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “In an increasingly complex, unpredictable world…what matters most is how we deal with what we don’t know.” *by R***S on 13 October 2015* I selected the comment by Jamie Holmes to serve as the subject of this review because he cites one of the greatest challenges all of us face today. For example, one of the most important information needs is knowing what we think we know but, in fact, don’t. So many times we make decisions based on assumptions or premises that are inadequate or incomplete, if not flat-out wrong. When told that he was believed to be the wisest man on earth, Socrates replied that if it were true, it was because “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." Holmes cites dozens of primary and secondary sources to support his “simple claim” that "what matters most isn't IQ, will power, or confidence in what we know. It's how we deal with what we don't understand." And I again presume to suggest that we cannot deal with something unless and until we recognize that we really do not understand it, although we may be certain that we do. Not everyone who says "Got it!" in fact gets it but may well think they do and there's the problem. In this context, I am reminded again of a Jordan Peterson comment that Holmes quotes: "The fundamental problem of life is the overwhelming complexity of being." Peterson praises the capacity of mind to eradicate vast swathes of information, albeit accurate information that is nonetheless irrelevant to and thus useless in the given circumstances. He calls this capacity of the mind "the miracle of simplification." (Albert Einstein once recommended that everything be made as simple as possible "but no simpler.") I agree with Holmes: "the only way we can manage the flood of perception is by creating and automatic ally deferring to working theories of what we are going to encounter -- beliefs about the world, in the broadest sense." These are among the several dozen passages of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to suggest the scope of Holmes’s coverage: o Ambiguity overview (Pages 9-12) o Arie Kruglanski (11-14, 73-75, 86-87, 88-90, and 243-244) o Sense making (19-61) o Dorothy Martin and alien sightings (47-56) o Traumatic events and reappraisal (65-73) o Urgency (65-82) o Misreading intentions (83-110) o Need for closure scale (86-89) o Trisha Torrey (111--114, 117-118, and 124-129) o Misdiagnosis (111-123) o Medical overtesting (120-126) o Strategy of ignorance (130-154) o Fashion forecasting (130-134, 139-141, and 145-152) o Ambiguity tolerance and strategy of ignorance (134-139, 143-144, and 151-152) o Business strategies (136-139) o Uses of uncertainty (157-178) o Gary Pisano (159-161 and 173-175) o Benefits of failure (159-163) o Innovations (179-203) o Tony McCaffrey (192-198 and 201-202) o Bilingualism (205-223) The challenges to which Jamie Holmes refers throughout his lively and eloquent narrative are indeed complicated and are certain to become even more so in the months and years ahead. He provides an abundance of real-world situation framed as stories, information, insights, and counsel to help his reader to understand basic principles and options such as how sense making works, including “secrets”; why intentions are misread; when to resist momentum; how to formulate and apply a “strategy of ignorance”; various uses of uncertainty; where to find hidden answers; and what benefits and opportunities appropriate diversity offers. For many executives now struggling to lead their companies through an increasingly more ambiguous as well as volatile and disruptive global marketplace, this is a “must read.” --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/63645279-nonsense-the-power-of-not-knowing](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/63645279-nonsense-the-power-of-not-knowing) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-10-08*