The Black Swan
Written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Narrated by David Chandler
ratings:
4.5/5 (448 ratings)
Length:
14 hours
Editor's Note
Expect the unexpected…
“Expect the unexpected” is the simple but profound lesson of this book. A “black swan” is Taleb’s term for events that were wholly unpredictable but still happened and drastically altered the course of history. Let Taleb teach you never to mistake the unlikely for impossible again.
Description
Maverick thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb had an illustrious career on Wall Street before turning his focus to his black swan theory. Not all swans are white, and not all events-no matter what the experts think-are predictable. Taleb shows that black swans, like 9/11, cannot be foreseen and have an immeasurable impact on the world. "[Taleb] administers a severe thrashing to MBA- and Nobel Prize-credentialed experts who make their living from economic forecasting."-Booklist
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Reviews
What people think about The Black Swan
4.3448 ratings / 105 Reviews
Reader reviews
- (5/5)Personally, I think it’s the best os the trilogy
- (4/5)Not as eye opening as I had thought. It’s ok ..
- (5/5)Truly eye opening! Gets better every time you read it
- (3/5)Honestly enjoyed his first book much more. Though I do enjoy his perspective and the way he thinks about the world. Ironically, he talks about clinical science the way he deigns how others talk about randomness and economics. Worth a listen, though.
- (4/5)This book is essentially what it’s like to be in the mind of a condescending, smart Alec intellectual as they silently judge you. A bit too much French filled ranting and logic games, but overall the idea is fascinating and his cheeky attitude towards the intellectual establishment is refreshing.
- (5/5)A great thinker and his theories of how to recognize the conditions for which Gaussian distribution can be applied are explained. Thank god someone took that on. He seems like a hoot at a party - if your within earshot.