What if understanding why something happens could reshape the future of science and artificial intelligence? In this groundbreaking work, Turing Award-winning computer scientist and statistician Judea Pearl takes you on a revolutionary journey into the world of causality—the study of cause and effect.
For over a century, scientists have clung to the mantra, "Correlation is not causation," avoiding causal questions like a forbidden fruit. But Pearl and his colleagues have broken this taboo, igniting the causal revolution. With clarity and insight, Pearl demonstrates how his work has laid a solid scientific foundation for answering both simple puzzles—like determining if rain or a sprinkler wet the sidewalk—and complex mysteries, such as whether a medical treatment truly cured an illness.
More than just identifying what causes what, Pearl’s methods reveal a new dimension: the worlds that could have been. This powerful framework is not only the essence of human reasoning but also the next frontier for artificial intelligence.
Whether you're curious about the inner workings of science or the future of AI, The Book of Why is your essential guide to understanding the hidden forces that shape our world—and the possibilities that lie beyond.
The Book of Why by Judea Pearl - Paperback
Judea Pearl is a professor of computer science at UCLA. The author of three books, he has won numerous awards, including the Alan Turing Award. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Dana Mackenzie is a PhD mathematician turned science writer and has written for Science, New Scientist, and Scientific American, among others. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.