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How Spies Think

Ten Lessons in Intelligence

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How Spies Think

By: David Omand
Narrated by: David Omand
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the former director of GCHQ, learn the methodology used by the British intelligence agencies to reach judgements, establish the right level of confidence and act decisively.

Intelligence officers discern the truth. They gather information - often contradictory or incomplete - and, with it, they build the most accurate possible image of the world. With the stakes at their absolute highest, they must then decide what to do.

In everyday life, you are faced with contradictory, incomplete information, too. Reading the news on social media, figuring out the next step in your career, or trying to discover if gossip about a friend is legitimate, you are building an image of the world and making decisions about it.

Looking through the eyes of one of Britain's most senior ex-intelligence officers, Professor Sir David Omand, How Spies Think shows how the big decisions in your life will be easier to make when you apply the same frameworks used by British intelligence. Full of revealing examples from his storied career, including key briefings with prime ministers from Thatcher to Blair, and conflicts from the Falklands to Afghanistan, Professor Omand arms us with the tools to sort fact from fiction and shows us how to use real intelligence every day.

©2020 David Omand (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Creativity & Genius Freedom & Security Personal Development Personal Success Politics & Government Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Espionage Middle East Iran

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Critic reviews

"One of the best books ever written about intelligence analysis and its long-term lessons. Brilliant, lucid and thought-provoking." (Christopher Andrew, author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5)

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An interesting exposition of the way in which intelligence is analysed and acted upon, but reading out mathematical equations just doesn't work – one needs to see these WRITTEN DOWN and the absence of a PDF document to accompany the audiobook must surely count as an intelligence failure!!

Not the way to teach maths.

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A real gem, a must for everybody’s list. Well structured and engaging. He involves the reader and has delivered an impactful piece.

Excellent book

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While in parts overly technical for the lay reader, stick with it. The insights of a life in secret intelligence from the late sixties onwards covering Northern Ireland, The Falklands War, The conflict in the former Yugoslavia, to the interference in the US and European democratic processes by Putin's Russia. David Omand brings that technical evaluation of information for the reader / listener in a way that gives useful basic tools in information evaluation for future use. It will not make you an expert, in the same way that basic car maintenance skills does not make you a mechanic but you will be better equipped for the digital age by knowing those skills.

An old spy's essential lessons for the digital age

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Just a short note that this book should be read by everyone before an upcoming election.

It takes you on a mind boggling journey how to think, maybe not just as a spy, but as a human being and citisen of the modern world.

I loved Mr Omand’s voice. I had the tempo on x1.2 which worked well for me.

It is a brilliant book! Thank you for taking the time to write and record it!

PaleSkinnySwede

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This is a very good book and would be worth more than three stars if it was not so misadvertised.

This is actually a book on general research methodology, particularly deductive and inductive reasoning, with examples from the world of international intelligence. It really reads as a course in philosophy of science, with a little extra on statistics. As such, it is actually quite good, if a little superficial. At times it has its facts wrong and one can see how the bias explicit in the examples may have influenced these factual mistakes, but on its actual matter of cautious inference of knowledge and making decisions with uncertainty, it is solid.

However, the title "how spies think" and the way the book is advertised made me expect something more practical. Such as practical advise on use of prior knowledge in fast decision making, or ways to use basic intuition. Something more on the field spy like thinking. The book as it is tells rather how analysts think, or how researchers think. As a philosophy major who is fascinated by history and has some experience in statistics and empirical research, I was already familiar with literally everything in this book. While some points were admirably well expressed, and as I said I think this was a very good book on this subject, it taught me nothing.

Philosophy of science 201

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