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yaydonna's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely an interesting concept but I felt like it had some redundancy throughout. It's thorough but I think could have done with a little less flourish and arrogance throughout.
rainpunk's review
2.5
Pretty disappointed. There are some great philosophical ideas in here and a few practical ones, but the author is gleefully antagonistic, mean-spirited, and self-aggrandizing, making it hard to take him seriously, especially when he only rarely attempts to back up big claims with evidence. Instead he tends to rely more on cherry-picked examples or thought experiments (or just simple fable-like story-telling). It makes it hard to pick out the robust ideas.
I am quite interested in the philosophy of the book, but I'll have to find that philosophy from other voices than Taleb's in the future. I'm sure Taleb would call me a simple idiot for feeling that way, though.
I am quite interested in the philosophy of the book, but I'll have to find that philosophy from other voices than Taleb's in the future. I'm sure Taleb would call me a simple idiot for feeling that way, though.
rsr143's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in 5 days, despite its length. I didn't skim it, I actually read it. This should emphasize how good I think it is. What's ironic is that I was ready to give up reading it only 50 pages in. The author makes excessive use of hyperbole. I found it hard to follow his rambling points. However, I stuck with it and am glad I did. I ended up learning to enjoy the writer's style, and his frequent use of metaphor and sarcasm made for good entertainment for what could have been a super boring book. The concept of antifragile is unique and not something I have heard others discuss. It is the kind of book you will read and then spend a few days thinking about. I actually re-read a chapter of the book after contemplating one of the sections (on "via negativa"). I also was inspired to write a blog post on the topic which is more than I can say for most other books I read.
komali_2's review against another edition
2.0
Stopped around 20% in.
Naturalist fallacy ad nauseum. Apparent derision for mental health efforts. libertarianism abound. No useful information for me, so I stopped reading.
Naturalist fallacy ad nauseum. Apparent derision for mental health efforts. libertarianism abound. No useful information for me, so I stopped reading.
evaphoenix's review against another edition
3.0
Taleb's insufferable, but there are some good points to be gleaned if you can get past his relentlessly abrasive presentation.
antonio_buehler's review against another edition
5.0
Great book. Don't buy everything he's selling but a great book.