I am surprised that Algorithms to Live By has not been mentioned. (Disclaimer: I am still reading it.) That book is both accessible and practical for any layman. However, just enough hints at variations of the discussed algorithms are given that even a non-technical reader might be motivated to dive further into theoretical CS and read a paper or two.
mdp2021|3 years ago
That's just because the solution space is (fortunately) still rich... But
Brian Christian; Tom Griffiths - Algorithms to Live By - The Computer Science of Human Decisions
is an unmissable work in Computer Science and *Economics*. Surely some of us have been drawn to Economics, as then patently a "Science of optimization", after having read this jewel (and after the further focus on the theory of optimization that CS gained with the boom on function automation, e.g. ANNs. Even this is part of the book, e.g. the paragraphs on "simulated annealing"). Tom Griffith (Princeton, dept. of Psychology) also gave a "TED talk" - a tiny fraction of the book, but a good appetizer for some.
By the way: I just found Tom Griffith also published a
Griffiths, T. L., Lieder, F., & Goodman, N. D. (2015). Rational use of cognitive resources: Levels of analysis between the computational and the algorithmic. Topics in Cognitive Science, 7, 217-229
...given his masterpiece divulgational book, this article could be another gem...