Get Free Shipping on orders over $89
The Random Factor : How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us - Mark Robert Rank

The Random Factor

How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us

By: Mark Robert Rank

Paperback | 16 June 2026 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback


$63.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $15.94 with

 or 

Available: 16th June 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

"Much of the power of the book comes from the discussion of 'chance and luck' operating at a far more mundane level in the lives of ordinary people. . . . Whether a person winds up in poverty is largely the result of factors outside their control."—JacobinA poverty expert reveals how truly random the world is—including how economic inequality is experienced—and how we can learn to acknowledge chance and appreciate it.  It's comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard, climb ladders, and get what we deserve, but each of us has been profoundly touched by randomness. Chance is shown to play a crucial role in shaping outcomes across history, throughout the natural world, and in our everyday lives. In The Random Factor, Mark Robert Rank draws from a wealth of evidence, including interviews and research, to explain how luck and chance play out and reveals how we can use these lessons to guide our personal lives and public policies.  The Random Factor traverses luck from macro to micro, from events like the Cuban Missile Crisis to our personal encounters and relationships. From his perspective as a scholar of poverty, Rank also delves into the class and race dynamics of chance, emphasizing the stark disparities it brings to light. This transformative book prompts a new understanding of the twists and turns in our daily lives and encourages readers to fully appreciate the surprising world of randomness in which we live.

More in Philosophy

The Beginning Comes After the End : Notes on a World of Change - Rebecca Solnit
The Book of Coffee : A philosophy - Julian Baggini

RRP $32.99

$26.99

18%
OFF
Joyful, Anyway : Finding Delight in Impossible Times - Kate Bowler
How Lucky Am I : A Skeleton's Guide to Living Your Best Life - Christian Watson
Know Yourself : A path to self-knowledge - The School of Life

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
On the Shortness of Life : The Stoic Classic - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

RRP $24.95

$21.75

13%
OFF
The Art Of War : Collins Classics - Sun Tzu
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind : 50th Anniversary Edition - Shunryu Suzuki
The Denial of Death - Ernest Becker

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Beginning to Live : The Art of Existential Freedom - Emmy van Deurzen
The Golden Road : How Ancient India Transformed the World - William Dalrymple
Discipline Is Destiny : The Power of Self-Control - Ryan Holiday

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF
Ikigai : The Japanese secret to a long and happy life - Héctor García