1. What does Gladwell mean when he says that, 'Puzzles are "transmitter-dependent"; they turn on what we are told. Mysteries are "receiver dependent"; they turn on the skills of the listener.'? puzzles can be completed and dismantled all by adding one more thing or removing one thing. mysteries turn the skills of the listener because mysteries have pieces that can only be discover by acquiring new skills.
2. Why didn't Enron have to pay taxes on their S.P.E.'s? What would be Enron's defense? Can you name the Illogical Fallacy present? Enron didn' have to pay SPE taxes because the IRS only taxes received money and the SPEs were projected income in the future.
3. Did Enron try to hide the fact that they weren't paying taxes? enron made public that they weren't paying taxes
4. Why does Gladwell claim that, 'Woodward and Bernstein would never have broken the Enron story.' Why don't you think anyone asked about Enron's financial statements? Is there a fallacy at work here? gladwell claims that woodward and bernstein would never have broken the Enron story because they were inexperienced in solving mysteries. i didn't think that anyone asked about the Enron financial statements because Enron was so powerful that they would not have given up their statements. also, everyone trusted Enron and their statements. this fallacy is circular reasoning
5. Gladwell claims that, 'Mysteries require that we revisit our list of culprits and be willing to spread the blame a little more broadly. Because if you can't find the truth in a mystery—even a mystery shrouded in propaganda—it's not just the fault of the propagandist. It's your fault as well.' Do you agree with the implications of this statement? i do not agree with this statement. just because there are pieces in a mystery that are missing doesn't necessarily mean that it is the investagator's fault
6. What was the advice of the Cornell students to anyone who held Enron stock?