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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I like the stepping down of the author from the idea of rigid life, that life is not calculs and plans. I like the chance he gave to the serendipity and fate or what he called "Black swans", the chance for stories. However, I see being prepared for black swans should be preceded by a plan.
In short this book argues that extreme events happen much more often than we expect and they can have massive effects. This is an interesting point, but only enough to fill a chapter, not a whole book. As a result most of the book is just filler about irrelevant or trivial points, but mainly Taleb constantly mocking so-called experts and everyone who thinks they're smart. I quickly got fed up and quit reading the book.
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I read an article on New Yorker last year about how ‘Naseem Nicholas Taleb’ is irritated by the world calling the pandemic a ‘Black Swan’.
For the unaware, the term ‘Black Swan’ is referred to as an unpredictable, rare, catastrophic event coined by Taleb in his 2007 bestselling book of that title (pictured here).
Of Course, after reading the article, I wanted to re-read the entire book as it had been years since I first read it & I finally got around to it last week! When I first read this book, I thought this book was groundbreaking & was super impressed by how NNT (as the author likes to call himself) has taken a very random concept & given it a meaning.
But on my second read, I realized that this book is a complete waste of time. The author is pompous and arrogant & so many of his theories sounded like complete bs to me. There is no question that NNT can turn any conversation to an erudite discussion, he is talented I give you that, but I did not find any ‘empirical’ evidence supporting his many theories claim except maybe few.
In short, NNT claims that things that happen or don’t are unpredictable & we should just roll with it.
For the unaware, the term ‘Black Swan’ is referred to as an unpredictable, rare, catastrophic event coined by Taleb in his 2007 bestselling book of that title (pictured here).
Of Course, after reading the article, I wanted to re-read the entire book as it had been years since I first read it & I finally got around to it last week! When I first read this book, I thought this book was groundbreaking & was super impressed by how NNT (as the author likes to call himself) has taken a very random concept & given it a meaning.
But on my second read, I realized that this book is a complete waste of time. The author is pompous and arrogant & so many of his theories sounded like complete bs to me. There is no question that NNT can turn any conversation to an erudite discussion, he is talented I give you that, but I did not find any ‘empirical’ evidence supporting his many theories claim except maybe few.
In short, NNT claims that things that happen or don’t are unpredictable & we should just roll with it.
The message that Taleb is driving home, is clear and understood: Gaussian bell curves need to be deleted from public memory - Black Swan events, that are highly improbable, yet enormously impactful don't follow projections using standard deviations. While this in itself is definitely news to me, the book is windy, lengthy, and sometimes "hautain" (haughty, in reference to Taleb's beloved French). Glad I read it but I didn't always fully enjoy it.
informative
reflective
Incredibly thought provoking and unique book. It's definitely changed the way I view the world: as a naive young person I have far more faith in institutions and models than is probably justified.
HOWEVER, the reviews that say the author is incredibly pretentious and arrogant wouldn't be wrong. I still think it's very much worth a read, though.
HOWEVER, the reviews that say the author is incredibly pretentious and arrogant wouldn't be wrong. I still think it's very much worth a read, though.
challenging
informative
reflective
“Looking into the outcome of the war, with all my relatives, friends, and property exposed to it, I face true limits of knowledge. Can someone explain to me why I should care about subatomic particles that, anyway, converge to a Gaussian?”
I did not like this book. At first I had high hopes. And then I reduced my expectations. By the last quarter of the book, I was just crawling toward the finish line.
My biggest issue? The lack of logic that guides Taleb's thinking. A book on probability and statistics doesn't have to be an AP Stats textbook. That being said, I expected some sense of mathematical logic to the assumptions Taleb was making. It was moreso him taking popular stats concepts and applying them to the world of business and (worse) politics. The result was less than thrilling.
Many men in the world of business have read this book and gone on to quote it in boardrooms the world over. It's why I continue to distrust both men and corporations.
My biggest issue? The lack of logic that guides Taleb's thinking. A book on probability and statistics doesn't have to be an AP Stats textbook. That being said, I expected some sense of mathematical logic to the assumptions Taleb was making. It was moreso him taking popular stats concepts and applying them to the world of business and (worse) politics. The result was less than thrilling.
Many men in the world of business have read this book and gone on to quote it in boardrooms the world over. It's why I continue to distrust both men and corporations.