Fear was my gateway to becoming interested in stories. My nanny growing up, a Scottish expat named Jackie with a fox pelt of red hair and a manic...
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jsharf, January 2, 2010 (view all comments by jsharf)
An important book that should change the way we think about markets and social phenomena as a whole. The author shows that large price movements are both more common and more damaging that we think, but that they're so far outside our normal experience that we're psychologically unequipped to expect them. Our mathematics that we're developed to manage risk is also deeply flawed, and has led to a number of market crashes in the last decade.
There's virtually no mathematics in the book, and it's easily accessible to laymen.
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David Myers, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by David Myers)
Leaves us no longer trapped in the 19th century probabilistic thinking and makes us aware of the discontinuous nature of human events.
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aunt dracula, September 28, 2008 (view all comments by aunt dracula)
This book presents some compelling arguments for changing the way we typically think about large-impact events. N.N. Taleb explains how certain ways of characterizing events may lead to flawed conclusions. If you can get past Taleb's sometimes overwhelming arrogance, this book has a lot to offer.
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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Used Hardcover
Nassim Nichol Taleb
0 stars -
0 reviews
$9.95
In Stock
Product details
480 pages
Random House -
English9781400063512
Reviews:
"Review"
by Wall Street Journal,
"A humanist at heart, Mr. Taleb ponders not only the effect of Black Swans but also the reason we have so much trouble acknowledging their existence."
"Review"
by New York Times,
"When The Black Swan tries to expand from finance into a general theory of history, it falters further owing to lack of evidence."
"Review"
by Library Journal,
Taleb's excellent book...effectively exposes many common illusions."
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world."
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