Chart Watching

Tuesday, May 15, was an unforgettable day for me: the launch date for The Book of Why, the book I have been working on with Judea Pearl for the last three years. I’ve never been lucky enough to see a baby born, but I think that the “birth” of a book...

The Book Recommended by Two Out of Three Kittens

With the official publication date of The Book of Why one day away, I kept wondering: What else can I do to make it a viral hit? Yesterday, the answer hit me. Just add kittens! Who can resist a book that has been endorsed by two out of three kittens? Archie and...

Reviews of The Book of Why

Here is a chronological list of reviews of The Book of Why that I know about. Readers are invited to send me any that I have missed. New York Times, “The Book of Why” Examines the Science of Cause and Effect, 6/1/2018. This was our first serious, in-depth...

Barbara Stoddard Burks: Pioneer in Causality

In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to tell the story of one of the truly unsung heroes of The Book of Why: Barbara Stoddard Burks, who was to our knowledge the first social scientist ever to use a causal diagram. The early years of the 20th century...

Prize Nomination, New Book

Whew! (Stamp, stamp.) I guess I was away for a little bit longer than I expected. Three years, has it been? Well, let me put some tea on the stove and then I’ll tell you about what has happened since my last visit. Ah, that’s better. Well then, last time I...