In part because individual judgement is not accurate enough or consistent enough, cognitive diversity is essential to good decision making.
James SurowieckiPunk rock has never really had much patience with musical virtuosity. Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that for most of its history, punk has been actively hostile to virtuosity.
James SurowieckiFrom a social point of view, it's beneficial that homeownership encourages commitment to a given town or city. But, from an economic point of view, it's good for people to be able to leave places where there's less work and move to places where there's more.
James SurowieckiStandards wars involve lots of variables, and understanding them often seems more an art than a science. They generally involve just two big players, and end in a winner-take-all situation.
James SurowieckiThe problem is that groups are only smart when the people in them are as independent as possible. This is the paradox of the wisdom of crowds.
James SurowieckiUnfortunately, there is something of a flaw in this idealized picture of the way the scientific community discovers truth. And the flaw is that most scientific work never gets noticed. Study after study has shown that most scientific papers are read by almost no one, while a small number of papers are read by many people.
James Surowiecki