Judgment Calls: Finding the Way to Wise Decisions

In Judgment Calls, historian Zachary Shore explores how we make decisions when the stakes are highest. Ranging across history, science, and culture—from Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the cultural impact of Robin Williams—these essays probe how judgment fails and how it can improve. How can we make better decisions—especially when the stakes are highest? In Judgment Calls, historian Zachary Shore tackles this timeless puzzle with intellectual daring and uncommon range. Known for his work on peace and war, Shore has never limited himself to a single discipline. Instead, he roams across history, science, culture, and current events to illuminate how we think, where we go wrong, and how we might judge more wisely. This provocative collection brings together essays that confront some of our most challenging questions. How should we remember the twentieth century? Why do even brilliant scientists miss the connections that bind the natural world? What does it take to truly understand our enemies? Did the atom bombs actually cause Japan’s surrender? Could a cultural moment like the death of Robin Williams reveal something about the society we create? With clarity, wit, and a gift for unexpected insight, Shore asks the questions most of us never think to pose—and then leads us toward answers that linger. Surprising, wide-ranging, and deeply humane, Judgment Calls is an invitation to let history help guide us toward a Wiser Way (see also the author's blog at wiserway.substack.com).