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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
At times, this book put forth really interesting ideas. However, the author's constant self-congratulations for being right/smarter/stronger than others was distracting and aggravating.
Has many very valid points - after you get past the Eminemesque angst, insufferable arrogance and his treating of a not-so-original idea as his own. Also, there are many points that appear to be logic leaps and which are reflective of Munger's man-with-the-hammer-syndrome, where Taleb applies a general broad brush just to try to substantiate a point. Also, the book feels too long sometimes - one gets a sense that it is chock full of rants/anecdotes that do not appear to materially further his central thesis. Still a decently worthy read peppered with quotable quotes and random intellectual ejaculations that make one pause and think.
A bit too academic for me. Enjoyed the bits I did read.
Must read book in my view. Taleb can be a little abrasive v's his critics but the ideas in this book are top notch and will make you think about finance, economics and a lot of other parts of your life. The core concept of anti-fragility is simple, but it's stunning how our human experience doesn't factor it into much of how we think.
Taleb has an ego the size of a planet (interestingly he mentions his father's large ego at some point). I could only read this one chapter at a time, reading a novel alongside it. Frankly, it's very easy to dislike the man.
He states it is his life's work, so don't bother reading any of his other works, if you haven't already. And the basic idea is pretty sound. I find myself agreeing with much of it, particularly the chapters on medicine. However, it's pretty easy on most pages to pull it apart and see that there really is not much there of substance.
It did make me think, though. Hence 3 *s.
He states it is his life's work, so don't bother reading any of his other works, if you haven't already. And the basic idea is pretty sound. I find myself agreeing with much of it, particularly the chapters on medicine. However, it's pretty easy on most pages to pull it apart and see that there really is not much there of substance.
It did make me think, though. Hence 3 *s.
Antifragile is full of good lessons. It's a dense, rich text that basically reads like loads of different, interconnected papers on antifragility.
The main takeaways from this for me relate to risk and managing upside/downside potential. However, it reads as a book written by a smart financier who is pretty dogmatic in his approach - it emphatically presents antifragility as a governing behaviour we can all benefit from, whilst brushing over some key other factors that impact how things work, like social consciousness, oppression and cultural movements. Felt a little Growth Mindset-y (this is bad).
I wouldn't call that much of an issue (no book can cover everything), but when the rhetoric of the book is 'I've thought of everything and here's why this works' - there's always more to it than that, and that should be acknowledged.
The main takeaways from this for me relate to risk and managing upside/downside potential. However, it reads as a book written by a smart financier who is pretty dogmatic in his approach - it emphatically presents antifragility as a governing behaviour we can all benefit from, whilst brushing over some key other factors that impact how things work, like social consciousness, oppression and cultural movements. Felt a little Growth Mindset-y (this is bad).
I wouldn't call that much of an issue (no book can cover everything), but when the rhetoric of the book is 'I've thought of everything and here's why this works' - there's always more to it than that, and that should be acknowledged.
To clarify my review score: the core ideas of the book are quite significant. They aren't, in my opinion, new -- nor does the author really think they are either -- however, Taleb has brought these notions into the general discussion and elaborated on them.
The reason I gave this such a poor review is that most of the book is a mess. So there is an integral core that everyone needs to understand about tails in randomness, extreme events, and growth in dynamic environments; then there is a whole rest of the book that can be skipped.
I also argue that many things within his works are asserted a priori; the merging of these ideas with actual events has been mostly left to others.
The reason I gave this such a poor review is that most of the book is a mess. So there is an integral core that everyone needs to understand about tails in randomness, extreme events, and growth in dynamic environments; then there is a whole rest of the book that can be skipped.
I also argue that many things within his works are asserted a priori; the merging of these ideas with actual events has been mostly left to others.
I will not be reading anything more by Taleb.
He does have some great points- I agree tremendously on many of his points concerning the economy and banking, on the value of hardships, “less is more,” and I agree with his stance on interventions being often harmful.
Otherwise, I’d love this book to be 96% shorter.
I cannot with this author. Can. Not.
He does have some great points- I agree tremendously on many of his points concerning the economy and banking, on the value of hardships, “less is more,” and I agree with his stance on interventions being often harmful.
Otherwise, I’d love this book to be 96% shorter.
I cannot with this author. Can. Not.
Taleb reminds me of my father, another skeptic. Both suspicious of conventional wisdom and accepted explanations. While there are some good ideas in this book, it is not an easy book to read. The author tends to repeat himself, and he can come off as a bit pompous (not that his targets do not deserve his scorn) and that can be off-putting. However, like his "Black Swan" book it was worth the effort.
Cranky Conspiracy Uncle is cranky. This is several hundred pages careening between 1) the difference between fragility and antifragility; 2) ranting against academia and bureaucracy and 3) an exploration into the author's gym and reading habits (my least favorite parts of the book). Missing is a philosophical discussion on how hard we should work to save things that are fragile but good (think endangered species and indigenous languages, though we endlessly explore the many dangers of saving things that are fragile but bad, like corrupt banks) and how we might combat things that are antifragile but bad (think racism, poverty and other problems that plague the entire world for millennia.) The author clearly believes his own hype; I wasn't really buying it.