Dan Harris

Dan Gardner, a Canadian author and academic, holds degrees in law and history from York University. His career includes experience as a columnist and feature writer for the Ottawa Citizen, and he served as editor of Policy Options. Gardner also held a role as a senior advisor in the office of the prime minister of Canada. He is currently an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Graduate School of Public Policy and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

Gardner's published works delve into human psychology and societal behavior. His 2008 book, "Risk," examines how people perceive and react to fear, and how this fear is manipulated by various institutions. "Future Babble," released in 2011, critiques the unreliability of expert predictions about the future and explores why people continue to place trust in them. He has also co-authored works on related themes, including "Superforecasting" with Philip Tetlock, "How Big Things Get Done" with Bent Flyvbjerg, and "The Seven Rules of Trust" with Jimmy Wales.

Dan Gardner pursued higher education at York University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Master of Arts in history. Prior to his career as an author, Gardner worked as a columnist and feature writer for the Ottawa Citizen. He later edited the magazine Policy Options between 2015 and 2016. Following his editorial role, Gardner served as a senior advisor within the office of the prime minister of Canada. He maintains an academic affiliation as an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Graduate School of Public Policy and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

Gardner's literary work often explores cognitive biases and societal dynamics. His 2008 book, "Risk," investigates human responses to fear and the exploitation of irrational fears by political and commercial entities. In "Future Babble" (2011), he scrutinizes the fallibility of expert forecasts and the reasons behind public reliance on them, drawing significantly on research by Philip Tetlock. Gardner collaborated with Tetlock on "Superforecasting" (2015), a follow-up exploring forecasting accuracy. Further collaborations include "How Big Things Get Done" (2023) with Bent Flyvbjerg, which addresses large-scale projects, and "The Seven Rules of Trust" (2025) with Jimmy Wales, focusing on trust-building principles.