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rainpunk's review against another edition
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.
howtodowtle's review against another edition
5.0
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.
wooknight's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite things from this book . Addition = complexity , subtraction = simplicity and the human race loves to worship complexity while paying lip service that simplicity is what we want and need . Unfortunately my own work experience leads me to the same conclusion . I also have to agree with his take on Nietzsche "Whatever does not kill you will make you stronger" , until it does kill you!!! Antifragility is a good thing in moderation as Aristotle states but I got the consistent impression that the author would like to knock down Aristotle from his pedestal . His well meaning advice that people need to spend more time with the classics is timeless . And I completely have to agree with him about the various people who having spent time in government now are scheming to work around the same loopholes that either they created or well acquainted with . After the financial crisis , I read about a citibank trader who received $300 million bonus whereas in Germany , not only were the executives forced to return the bonuses but there was talk about forcing them to return their salaries as well