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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
“Nassim Taleb is an insufferable egomaniac but at least his ideas are noteworthy and interesting.”
Please remind me that I said that in about six years when I’ve finished reading Antifragile as that’s probably going to be the first line of my review.
*about six years later*
Okay, I’ve listened to the unabridged audiobook and all I can say is nothing has disavowed me of the above notion.
I’ve never met the man but, judging by this book, Nassim Taleb is a complete asshole. But he’s my kind of asshole. Pretentious, egotistical, and probably right.
The book is worth reading for concept of ‘Antifragile’ alone. Taleb invented the term to describe something for which he believes there wasn’t a word:
Things that break easily under stress are Fragile. Things that withstand a great deal of stress, but eventually break, are Robust. But things that actually get stronger under stress are Antifragile.
He bemoans the fact that this word, which he invented, isn’t in the dictionary; as though that somehow proves the need for it.
I told you that he was an asshole.
He then proceeds, at great length, to talk around the subject. Much of the book is taken up by digressions, delusions of grandeur, professions of his own genius, and decrying any naysayers or detractors.
He criticises journalists, academics, economists, doctors, politicians, and just about everyone else for their pomposity, pseudo-intellectualism, insincerity, dishonesty and bullshit.
This is fair comment but it’s hard to take him seriously when his book is deliberately written in a style that is, by his own admission, difficult for us lesser mortals to understand.
A philosophy teacher once told me that ideas don’t have to be true so long as they are interesting, elegant or useful.
Nassim Taleb is no doubt antifragile to my opinions — and the concept of antifragility is genuinely interesting, elegant, and useful — but he can still go fuck himself.
Please remind me that I said that in about six years when I’ve finished reading Antifragile as that’s probably going to be the first line of my review.
*about six years later*
Okay, I’ve listened to the unabridged audiobook and all I can say is nothing has disavowed me of the above notion.
I’ve never met the man but, judging by this book, Nassim Taleb is a complete asshole. But he’s my kind of asshole. Pretentious, egotistical, and probably right.
The book is worth reading for concept of ‘Antifragile’ alone. Taleb invented the term to describe something for which he believes there wasn’t a word:
Things that break easily under stress are Fragile. Things that withstand a great deal of stress, but eventually break, are Robust. But things that actually get stronger under stress are Antifragile.
He bemoans the fact that this word, which he invented, isn’t in the dictionary; as though that somehow proves the need for it.
I told you that he was an asshole.
He then proceeds, at great length, to talk around the subject. Much of the book is taken up by digressions, delusions of grandeur, professions of his own genius, and decrying any naysayers or detractors.
He criticises journalists, academics, economists, doctors, politicians, and just about everyone else for their pomposity, pseudo-intellectualism, insincerity, dishonesty and bullshit.
This is fair comment but it’s hard to take him seriously when his book is deliberately written in a style that is, by his own admission, difficult for us lesser mortals to understand.
A philosophy teacher once told me that ideas don’t have to be true so long as they are interesting, elegant or useful.
Nassim Taleb is no doubt antifragile to my opinions — and the concept of antifragility is genuinely interesting, elegant, and useful — but he can still go fuck himself.
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Талеб — третью книгу насилующий небольшой набор (довольно разумных, здесь без возражений) тезисов путающийся в собственной логике шарлатан. Для улучшения опыта рекомендую выпивать каждый раз, когда он использует для подкрепления очередного своего наблюдения умозаключения, опирающиеся на ранее описанные им же типичные логические ошибки. Hard mode: почитать хотя бы, скажем, Голдакра про фармакологию перед тем, как взяться за соответствующую главу Antifragile, чтобы примерно оценить, насклько Талеб охотно рассуждает о вещах, о которых не имеет даже поверхностного представления (будут и другие возможности).
Как шарлатан Талеб, впрочем, хорош: мало кто способен с таким напором внушать клиенту чувство собственной исключительной сообразительности и незамутнённости. С нужной интонацией нашептанное на ухо "мы-то с тобой, читатель, не такие" — мощнейший инструмент, каждому хочется видеть насквозь некомпетентность учёных и экономистов. Талеб не отказывает себе и в удовольствии перечислить, кажется, все случаи, когда он (вероятней всего, по случайности) оказывался в чём-то прав, а эксперты в области — не слишком. Интересней было бы однажды ознакомиться со списком обратных ситуаций, но такое вряд ли хорошо продается.
Как шарлатан Талеб, впрочем, хорош: мало кто способен с таким напором внушать клиенту чувство собственной исключительной сообразительности и незамутнённости. С нужной интонацией нашептанное на ухо "мы-то с тобой, читатель, не такие" — мощнейший инструмент, каждому хочется видеть насквозь некомпетентность учёных и экономистов. Талеб не отказывает себе и в удовольствии перечислить, кажется, все случаи, когда он (вероятней всего, по случайности) оказывался в чём-то прав, а эксперты в области — не слишком. Интересней было бы однажды ознакомиться со списком обратных ситуаций, но такое вряд ли хорошо продается.
One o those rare books that changed the way that I see the world. I don't always agree with Taleb, but he'll be remembered for his analysis of the "antifragile".
challenging
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
He literally says he's glad Sylvia Plath didn't take antidepressants, because then we wouldn't have her poetry. She killed herself at 30.