Steven Levitt, Born: 29 May 1967

I do think that the standard media is controlled by the conventional wisdom about global warming. We...Show more »

I do think that the standard media is controlled by the conventional wisdom about global warming. We've come to believe - from reading a lot of articles and talking to a lot of scientists - that there's another side to be heard. Show less «

People don't like it, but inevitably we need to think about both the costs and the benefits of healt...Show more »

People don't like it, but inevitably we need to think about both the costs and the benefits of health care. We cannot avoid the financial consequences. Show less «

You'd be a fool or a deluded idealist to think ethics would be prominent on Wall Street. That is not...Show more »

You'd be a fool or a deluded idealist to think ethics would be prominent on Wall Street. That is not a statement against people in the money business, just a fact. Show less «

Data, I think, is one of the most powerful mechanisms for telling stories. I take a huge pile of dat...Show more »

Data, I think, is one of the most powerful mechanisms for telling stories. I take a huge pile of data and I try to get it to tell stories. Show less «

Wall Street is populated by a bunch of people whose primary goal is to make money, and the rules are...Show more »

Wall Street is populated by a bunch of people whose primary goal is to make money, and the rules are pretty much caveat emptor. Show less «

If you really accept that global warming puts the world at risk, then you think you would be open to...Show more »

If you really accept that global warming puts the world at risk, then you think you would be open to any solution that could undo it. Show less «

Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data...Show more »

Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data tells you anything. When we're allowed to do this with companies, it's almost magical. Show less «

The most obvious things are often right there, but you don't think about them because you've narrowe...Show more »

The most obvious things are often right there, but you don't think about them because you've narrowed your vision. Show less «

I think the problem with schools is not too many incentives but too few. Because of tenure, teachers...Show more »

I think the problem with schools is not too many incentives but too few. Because of tenure, teachers' unions, and the fact that teachers generally aren't observed in their classrooms, they can do whatever they want in class. Show less «

As I see it, most major philanthropists have been bullied into giving. They feel social pressure to ...Show more »

As I see it, most major philanthropists have been bullied into giving. They feel social pressure to give. It has become a cost of doing business. Show less «

Good social media is authentic. What makes social media work is actually having something to say.

The major challenge facing most foundations is that they are risk averse. This inhibits their abilit...Show more »

The major challenge facing most foundations is that they are risk averse. This inhibits their ability to experiment and commit to the experimentation and innovation process. Show less «