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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
A book packed with thought provoking ideas. Touches on:
- Fragility, robustness, anti fragility
- Randomness
- Principle-agent problem
- And more
Extremely relevant to everyday life. I found myself constantly bringing it conversation, much more then I do other books when I am reading them, as it always seemed so relevant. Must read again.
- Fragility, robustness, anti fragility
- Randomness
- Principle-agent problem
- And more
Extremely relevant to everyday life. I found myself constantly bringing it conversation, much more then I do other books when I am reading them, as it always seemed so relevant. Must read again.
Long overdue read, very intriguing ideas and thinking. A lot to absorb and think through. The author has a certain air of arrogance to him so the tone is a often a bit much. Otherwise really enjoyed it and should have read soon.
Lots of small ventures is more resilient than one big, too-big-to-fail venture. That's about all I got before I gave up half way through after the 40th repetition of that message.
A few valid and underrated concepts with a lot of folksy anecdotes and opinionated drivel.
Wew. This was definitely a bit of a slog, but it feels very rewarding that I made it through.
Central point: we've built fragile systems that are very vulnerable to black swan (ex: the 2008 financial crash) events. Our objective must be to smooth out the fragility of the system into a more distributed format. In nonlinear systems (like most of human activity), small constant stresses are much better than one big stressor, even if they average out to the same value.
Very very entertaining writer. He's very opinionated and doesn't hesitate to tell you exactly what his opinion is of something/someone. One of my favorite lines: "I got nauseous in Davos making eye contact with the fragilista journalist Thomas Friedman who, thanks to his influential newspaper op-eds, helped cause the Iraq war." <------------ just one of many dunks
I'd say this book deals primarily with the topics of epistemology, statistics, and social structures. His analysis is undergirded by classical Greco-Roman philosophy, frequent anecdotal ramblings and a very liberal application of custom diction (fragilista, Soviet-Harvard intellectuals, Procrustean, etc.).
Kind of hard to follow along sometimes, and I'd be lying if I said my eyes didn't glaze over occasionally, but definitely one of the highlights of my 2020 books so far.
Central point: we've built fragile systems that are very vulnerable to black swan (ex: the 2008 financial crash) events. Our objective must be to smooth out the fragility of the system into a more distributed format. In nonlinear systems (like most of human activity), small constant stresses are much better than one big stressor, even if they average out to the same value.
Very very entertaining writer. He's very opinionated and doesn't hesitate to tell you exactly what his opinion is of something/someone. One of my favorite lines: "I got nauseous in Davos making eye contact with the fragilista journalist Thomas Friedman who, thanks to his influential newspaper op-eds, helped cause the Iraq war." <------------ just one of many dunks
I'd say this book deals primarily with the topics of epistemology, statistics, and social structures. His analysis is undergirded by classical Greco-Roman philosophy, frequent anecdotal ramblings and a very liberal application of custom diction (fragilista, Soviet-Harvard intellectuals, Procrustean, etc.).
Kind of hard to follow along sometimes, and I'd be lying if I said my eyes didn't glaze over occasionally, but definitely one of the highlights of my 2020 books so far.
I really wanted to like this book. I think the ideas are interesting and have merit, but I could not get through “this author’s “ overweening ego that seeps out of every page. Instead of being written to introduce a new concept or idea, it seems more about puffing up “this author’s “ pride.
Book would be a zillion times better written by literally anyone else.
Book would be a zillion times better written by literally anyone else.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Key Ideas
The antifragile thrives in a volatile environment and deteriorates in stability.
To become antifragile, one must learn to embrace mistakes.
Choose options with convex benefits, where the costs are low, but the potential gains are unlimited.
Use a barbell strategy to ensure antifragility. The essence of this strategy is that 90% of assets are kept in a safe place, while 10% are in risky or even highly risky ventures.
Effective action is only possible when you have skin in the game.
Impressions of the Book
A fundamental work at the intersection of philosophy, ethics, and mathematics. It allows one to see hidden threats in the world and become open to new opportunities. If you want to start enjoying our ever-changing world, Taleb's work is a must-read.
Favorite Quotes
"Negative knowledge is more certain than positive knowledge. Wisdom lies in avoiding unnecessary things rather than acquiring true knowledge."
"There is no evidence of harm from a drug or unnatural procedure à la via positiva, and therefore it is premature to claim they are dangerous."
"The more you study, the less obvious the elementary but fundamental knowledge becomes; practice, on the other hand, strips phenomena of complexity, leaving only the simplest model of what is possible."
How Has This Book Changed Me?
I'm adopting the barbell strategy and convex options. I also liked the approach to doctors and medicine. The question to ask a doctor—"How would you treat yourself in my position, rather than what would you recommend?"—is something I’m taking to heart.
Ahhh I love Taleb's books :D
"It is said that the best horses lose when they compete with slower ones, and win against better rivals. Undercompensation from the absence of a stressor, inverse hormesis, absence of challenge, degrades the best of the best. In Baudelaire's poem, "The albatross's giant wings prevent him from walking" - many do better in Calculus 103 than Calculus 101."
"Those who understand bacterial resistance in the biological domain completely fail to grasp the dictum by Seneca in De clemencia about the inverse effect of punishments. He wrote: "Repeated punishment, while it crushes the hatred of a few, stirs the hatred of all...just as trees that have been trimmed throw out again countless branches." For revolutions feed on repression, growing heads faster and faster as one literally cuts a few off by killing demonstrators. There is an Irish revolutionary song that encapsulates the effect: The higher you build your barricades, the stronger we become."
"As in Baudelaire's sad poem about the albatross, what is made to fly will not do well trapped on the ground, where it is forced to traipse."
"Never ask anyone for their opinion, forecast, or recommendation. Just ask them what they have - or don't have - in their portfolio."
"Suckers try to win arguments, nonsuckers try to win."
"The glass is dead; living things are long volatility. The best way to verify that you are alive is by checking if you like variations. Remember that food would not have a taste if it weren't for hunger; results are meaningless without effort, joy without sadness, convictions without uncertainty and an ethical life isn't so when stripped of personal risks."
"It is said that the best horses lose when they compete with slower ones, and win against better rivals. Undercompensation from the absence of a stressor, inverse hormesis, absence of challenge, degrades the best of the best. In Baudelaire's poem, "The albatross's giant wings prevent him from walking" - many do better in Calculus 103 than Calculus 101."
"Those who understand bacterial resistance in the biological domain completely fail to grasp the dictum by Seneca in De clemencia about the inverse effect of punishments. He wrote: "Repeated punishment, while it crushes the hatred of a few, stirs the hatred of all...just as trees that have been trimmed throw out again countless branches." For revolutions feed on repression, growing heads faster and faster as one literally cuts a few off by killing demonstrators. There is an Irish revolutionary song that encapsulates the effect: The higher you build your barricades, the stronger we become."
"As in Baudelaire's sad poem about the albatross, what is made to fly will not do well trapped on the ground, where it is forced to traipse."
"Never ask anyone for their opinion, forecast, or recommendation. Just ask them what they have - or don't have - in their portfolio."
"Suckers try to win arguments, nonsuckers try to win."
"The glass is dead; living things are long volatility. The best way to verify that you are alive is by checking if you like variations. Remember that food would not have a taste if it weren't for hunger; results are meaningless without effort, joy without sadness, convictions without uncertainty and an ethical life isn't so when stripped of personal risks."