The Black Swan
a best seller authored by Nassim Taleb, has been on my reading list for some time. As I noted here, Seth klarman recently recommended the book as very important to read. In addition, although the book was released in 2007, a newly revised edition with almost 100 extra pages was released in May. I decided to bump it up on my reading list.
My first impression of the book was how radical ideas presented by Taleb were. The Black Swan is a revolutionary read for most thinkers -- not just because of its distinct way of analyzing contemporary upheavals, but more so for its postulations about politics, society, and humanity in general.
Taleb's sharp and in-depth social and societal commentaries are considered to be coming from a paradigm that looks at the world differently, and it is this distinct worldview which makes his observations, and predictions mind you, stand out from the rest. He views the world through the prism of what he calls The Black Swan.
Taleb used the Black Swan for his title as an allusion to the historical account that most Europeans thought all swans were white -- until 1697, when then Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh saw black swans upon arriving in Australia.
His discovery convinced the whole of Europe that black swans do exist, and on the metaphorical level, that Europeans ought to rethink what they had previously held to be accepted and obvious beliefs. On a higher philosophical plane moreover, Black Swan reminds its readers that just because they have not seen a black swan, it does not mean that it does not exist.
Taleb then relates this to the collective historical experience of humanity and how the Black Swan is the perfect allusion to these experiences. Taleb, for example, brings forth the idea that men always used to think that certain phenomena were impossible to happen in the future -- however, when they did later happen, or occur as the case may be, they became part of our readily-embraced reality. In addition, Taleb notes that black swans occur a lot more often than historians, mathematicians, economists or anyone else predicts.
In a nutshell, Taleb reiterates that it is easy to observe that life is a summation or accumulation of a number of significant shocks. And that identifying the Black Swans in your life would require you to look at your own existence, count the number of significant events, the technological innovations for example, and the numerous inventions that have been discovered since your birth, and compare these shifts or discoveries to the time when you were not born yet. There is a world of difference there.
The most disappointing part about the book was how philosophically oriented it was. Towards the beginning of the book I could not put it down. Then Taleb got into a bit too much philosophy for me. Some readers might like this, but I would have preferred less talk of the different philosophical schools of thought. I plan on doing a review of Taleb’s other best-sellerFooled by Randomness
, which I have read is the “dumbded down “ version of the black swan.
Taleb is quite controversial and unapologetic, and insults nearly everyone in his book. I did not mind this, but some people might get offended.
Overall, the book is an interesting read which forces one to rethink possible misconceived notions about many Aspects of the world. The Black Swan is a post-modern means of looking at the world, and its basic contentions can make us rethink our very own cognitions of what reality and possibility really are.
To purchase the book on Amazon.com click on the following linkThe Black Swan
http://www.valuewalk.com/
a best seller authored by Nassim Taleb, has been on my reading list for some time. As I noted here, Seth klarman recently recommended the book as very important to read. In addition, although the book was released in 2007, a newly revised edition with almost 100 extra pages was released in May. I decided to bump it up on my reading list.My first impression of the book was how radical ideas presented by Taleb were. The Black Swan is a revolutionary read for most thinkers -- not just because of its distinct way of analyzing contemporary upheavals, but more so for its postulations about politics, society, and humanity in general.
Taleb's sharp and in-depth social and societal commentaries are considered to be coming from a paradigm that looks at the world differently, and it is this distinct worldview which makes his observations, and predictions mind you, stand out from the rest. He views the world through the prism of what he calls The Black Swan.
Taleb used the Black Swan for his title as an allusion to the historical account that most Europeans thought all swans were white -- until 1697, when then Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh saw black swans upon arriving in Australia.
His discovery convinced the whole of Europe that black swans do exist, and on the metaphorical level, that Europeans ought to rethink what they had previously held to be accepted and obvious beliefs. On a higher philosophical plane moreover, Black Swan reminds its readers that just because they have not seen a black swan, it does not mean that it does not exist.
Taleb then relates this to the collective historical experience of humanity and how the Black Swan is the perfect allusion to these experiences. Taleb, for example, brings forth the idea that men always used to think that certain phenomena were impossible to happen in the future -- however, when they did later happen, or occur as the case may be, they became part of our readily-embraced reality. In addition, Taleb notes that black swans occur a lot more often than historians, mathematicians, economists or anyone else predicts.
In a nutshell, Taleb reiterates that it is easy to observe that life is a summation or accumulation of a number of significant shocks. And that identifying the Black Swans in your life would require you to look at your own existence, count the number of significant events, the technological innovations for example, and the numerous inventions that have been discovered since your birth, and compare these shifts or discoveries to the time when you were not born yet. There is a world of difference there.
The most disappointing part about the book was how philosophically oriented it was. Towards the beginning of the book I could not put it down. Then Taleb got into a bit too much philosophy for me. Some readers might like this, but I would have preferred less talk of the different philosophical schools of thought. I plan on doing a review of Taleb’s other best-sellerFooled by Randomness
, which I have read is the “dumbded down “ version of the black swan. Taleb is quite controversial and unapologetic, and insults nearly everyone in his book. I did not mind this, but some people might get offended.
Overall, the book is an interesting read which forces one to rethink possible misconceived notions about many Aspects of the world. The Black Swan is a post-modern means of looking at the world, and its basic contentions can make us rethink our very own cognitions of what reality and possibility really are.
To purchase the book on Amazon.com click on the following linkThe Black Swan
http://www.valuewalk.com/
