Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Antifragile: Quite an experience

Most books you just read and learn something but Antifragile is better described as an experience.

You can download Nassim Taleb's, "Antifragile" from our National Library Overdrive subscription or buy your ebook from Amazon. I have both.

Just finished reading earlier today.

The pic show the cutest page in the book. His latest book is much easier to follow than 'The Black Swan'. I haven't gotten around to "Fooled by Randomness" and "The Bed of Procrustes"

I had many labels for the author as I moved along the book but near the end I decided the most apt and unlikely to see him described thus: Prophet.

As I got to the final chapter I could already seamlessly connect the ideas of fragility and antifragility with the cornerstone ideas of the Bible. Of course it was helpful that Taleb often referred to the Hammurabi code.

A thought that rang continuously in my mind as I read was Singapore is FRAGILE. Had Taleb chosen Singapore as an example in this book, I am sure it wouldn't be very flattering. He doesn't see eye to eye with most economists (he calls them charlatans) and he completely disagrees with Thomas Friedman who is a great fan of our government.

Yes, like the stereotype biblical prophet, Taleb offends and have far fewer friends than any with his considerable intellectual footprint.

1 comment:

  1. Totally agree! This book really turned my mind upside down. I'll never look at the world the same way again. http://ahmadintaiwan.blogspot.tw/2013/10/antifragile-things-that-gain-from.html

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