Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Great book, can be a bit of drag/reptitive examples, but an interesting way of thinking
Antifragile attempts to establish the world as a fearsome place, where the only thing that is predictable is that nothing is predictable. In this Hobbesian world of all-against-all chaos, fortune favours the brave and the bold, those "heros" who fly headfirst into any fray or business venture.
This is, of course, bunkum. In his railing against academia, he assumes that all academics must think like him, that they know everything and can therefore predict the world with remarkable clarity. His arguments follow the usual logical fallacies related to this thinking, with "reductio ad absurdum" and "no true Scotsman" running through the piste.
Like many men, he's in love with his own ego, which comes across strongly in his constant referring to classical sources as a way of making those without a classical education feel inadequate, or referring to himself at DAVOS, meeting Nobel Prize winners and besting them and so on.
It's worth reading to encourage your own thinking on what risk really means and the limits of our own knowledge and understanding, but his writing can grate.
This is, of course, bunkum. In his railing against academia, he assumes that all academics must think like him, that they know everything and can therefore predict the world with remarkable clarity. His arguments follow the usual logical fallacies related to this thinking, with "reductio ad absurdum" and "no true Scotsman" running through the piste.
Like many men, he's in love with his own ego, which comes across strongly in his constant referring to classical sources as a way of making those without a classical education feel inadequate, or referring to himself at DAVOS, meeting Nobel Prize winners and besting them and so on.
It's worth reading to encourage your own thinking on what risk really means and the limits of our own knowledge and understanding, but his writing can grate.
I was able to make it just over two hours into the audiobook (a 16-hour time commitment). The author comes across as incredibly pretentious and self-absorbed.
The topics weren’t engaging or profound to me.
It just gave me the ick.
The topics weren’t engaging or profound to me.
It just gave me the ick.
I give up. I made it halfway through, but the thought of picking it up, again, makes me unhappy. Life's too short. I'm returning it.
The ideas in this book are brilliant, revolutionary, and valuable. Unfortunately, the author's voice is so bitter and hateful that I can't stand to listen to him talk about them. I am facinated by the subject (5 stars!) but repulsed by the author (1 star!). After 6 months of trying, I'm admitting that the repulsion wins and giving this book a 2 star rating.
The ideas in this book are brilliant, revolutionary, and valuable. Unfortunately, the author's voice is so bitter and hateful that I can't stand to listen to him talk about them. I am facinated by the subject (5 stars!) but repulsed by the author (1 star!). After 6 months of trying, I'm admitting that the repulsion wins and giving this book a 2 star rating.
Felt rather self-indulging when compared with his flagship text. Some good concepts but could have been ably expressed with no more than 250 pages.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Loved this book and the distinction between resilience and antifragility. Such an important concept in terms of brain and health functioning.
Having read Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness a while ago now I was looking forward to this ones as Taleb has a towering mind.
The basic premise in this book is that we all need to be more anti fragile, that is more resistant and resilient to shocks both large and small. He gives the example of small animals being able to absorb the shock from a drop, but large animals suffering because of their size. He favours the artisan producer rather than the mega corporation, and have a massive distrust of large corporations and their marketing.
He argues in here that the current systems, be it banks, governments and academia are all fragile, that is very susceptible to external shocks, and that the systems are geared to magnify these risks. An example if the banking crisis, where the risks taken got greater and greater, and yet those at the banks were bailed out. He thinks that making the traders and banker personally liable will have a major improvement to the global financial market.
Some of this was very hard to read, occasionally unreadable, and I think that the number of examples could have been reduced. A stronger editor would have been able to wrestle this into a much more readable book, and the arguments would have been stronger.
The basic premise in this book is that we all need to be more anti fragile, that is more resistant and resilient to shocks both large and small. He gives the example of small animals being able to absorb the shock from a drop, but large animals suffering because of their size. He favours the artisan producer rather than the mega corporation, and have a massive distrust of large corporations and their marketing.
He argues in here that the current systems, be it banks, governments and academia are all fragile, that is very susceptible to external shocks, and that the systems are geared to magnify these risks. An example if the banking crisis, where the risks taken got greater and greater, and yet those at the banks were bailed out. He thinks that making the traders and banker personally liable will have a major improvement to the global financial market.
Some of this was very hard to read, occasionally unreadable, and I think that the number of examples could have been reduced. A stronger editor would have been able to wrestle this into a much more readable book, and the arguments would have been stronger.
I'll admit it - I cheated and skimmed the last third or so. I have some criticism (for one, I found a great deal of the content repetitive), but Mr. Taleb has earned my respect nonetheless. Perhaps he'll be glad I gave up on reading this, since he strongly advocates pursuing one's personal interests. In my case, I am primarily a reader (and on rare occasion, writer) of fiction. As advised, I need to get more 'skin in the game', and I think repurposing the time I would have spent reading this book is a start.
Non-fiction of this sort tends to register as 'real life', which I prefer to experience first-hand. Anecdotes and case studies have more impact when you're the one sharing them, no? At least, if you're in the habit of analysing them to bits with every retelling. Being the sole owner of the experience, you are entitled to use your experiences as you see fit. I think Mr. Taleb made this point as well.
In reading this book, I learned that I was probably not the target audience. While I won't go so far as to call myself enlightened, I agreed with many of the points made. It made me feel somewhat uneasy. Being repeatedly persuaded to abide by my own personal philosophy, as though I'd forgotten who I was as a person.
No rating, since to rate something I did not give my full attention to would be unfair.
Non-fiction of this sort tends to register as 'real life', which I prefer to experience first-hand. Anecdotes and case studies have more impact when you're the one sharing them, no? At least, if you're in the habit of analysing them to bits with every retelling. Being the sole owner of the experience, you are entitled to use your experiences as you see fit. I think Mr. Taleb made this point as well.
In reading this book, I learned that I was probably not the target audience. While I won't go so far as to call myself enlightened, I agreed with many of the points made. It made me feel somewhat uneasy. Being repeatedly persuaded to abide by my own personal philosophy, as though I'd forgotten who I was as a person.
No rating, since to rate something I did not give my full attention to would be unfair.