You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
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.
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.
informative
slow-paced
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.
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.
Taleb's insufferable, but there are some good points to be gleaned if you can get past his relentlessly abrasive presentation.
Great book. Don't buy everything he's selling but a great book.
Read for the third time—this reading was definitely too close to the last one (finished November 2018, July 2020, and now March 2022). The first two times, I rated it five stars, now I was tempted to reduce my rating to four stars. My guess is that Taleb's "arrogance" (for lack of a better word) becomes a bit overwhelming once there is less new content. I'll leave it at five stars because this book really impacted how I think over the last couple of years. But it's not always an easy read and I'll give it at least another five years before I'll tackle it again.
informative
slow-paced