Maverick thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb had an illustrious career on Wall Street before turning his focus to his black swan theory. With its revolutionary examination of the impact of highly improbable events, this New York Times bestseller took the world by storm. Not all swans are white, and not all events--no matter what the experts think--are predictable. Every so often, one of these unpredictable events occurs and has an immeasurable impact on the world--such as 9/11. Taleb argues the problem is that humans focus too ...
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Maverick thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb had an illustrious career on Wall Street before turning his focus to his black swan theory. With its revolutionary examination of the impact of highly improbable events, this New York Times bestseller took the world by storm. Not all swans are white, and not all events--no matter what the experts think--are predictable. Every so often, one of these unpredictable events occurs and has an immeasurable impact on the world--such as 9/11. Taleb argues the problem is that humans focus too much thought on what they already know, and not enough on what they don't. The trick is understanding how to deal with black swans when they appear, and how to benefit from them. Witty and irreverant, The Black Swan holds the power to change--for the better--the way people think about the world. It is unlike any book ever written, and its groundbreaking arguments are lucidly articulated by narrator David Chandler.
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Haven't read the book yet. Bought it ahead for November's book club discussion. Plan on reading it this fall.
John T
Feb 13, 2011
Interesting but . . . .
This book has some interesting ideas, but it is somewhat annoying. The author is full of himself and wanders off the subject. However, it does get better as you work through it.
Beanie3
May 13, 2010
The author's snarky tone turned me off. He came off as such a smirking know-it-all that I didn't care what startling new conclusions he had reached.
crunch
Apr 22, 2010
an entertainment lacking in quantitative support
The book arrived with an unreported broken binding.
Taleb's content is entertaining and a useful if informal index of authors he mentions in passing, however as a standalone piece, it lacks substantive value (which I'm sure Taleb himself would admit).
sypsok
Jun 25, 2009
Nice book. Intellectual and eye - opening. I recommend to read this book for everyone interested in different point of view.