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Book report: "The Black Swan" By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Reading the Black Swan takes me to a different place from the usual scientific literature, maybe it's because it can't be classified as one, if someone would ask me now to classify this book I probably would need to put some effort in to it because it is not a casual case. The author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, dresses up his theories as stories, and mixes them with all manner of autobiographical commentary. The book constantly moving between two extremes; very simple ideas that could be shared with children and a very complicated, sophisticated and advanced academic renovations that only professionals would be able to follow.
Perhaps reading my own words and thinking about it, allows me to realize only now that the made up character from chapter 2, "Yevgenia - The Writer", that later on pops up a lot throughout the book, is the reflection of the author himself in his own eyes, it's a bit strange that he would choose a Russian female to disguise himself in to the story but all the same I think that this is the main fact that shows us that the author himself is his own biggest admirer. I guess that this is where my criticism starts. I must comment about the surprising (at least for me) way the author chooses to end the book, where he predicts very little success for his next book. I think it has something to do with general trends in the financial industry, while in the case of the "Black Swan" he addressed controversial ideas that have been on everybody's mind, this book was needed because the audience was mature and ready for it, I think his next book will address some underground ideas that the industry isn't ready for and will reject it.
Reading the Black Swan takes me to a different place from the usual scientific literature, maybe it's because it can't be classified as one, if someone would ask me now to classify this book I probably would need to put some effort in to it because it is not a casual case. The author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, dresses up his theories as stories, and mixes them with all manner of autobiographical commentary. The book constantly moving between two extremes; very simple ideas that could be shared with children and a very complicated, sophisticated and advanced academic renovations that only professionals would be able to follow.
Perhaps reading my own words and thinking about it, allows me to realize only now that the made up character from chapter 2, "Yevgenia - The Writer", that later on pops up a lot throughout the book, is the reflection of the author himself in his own eyes, it's a bit strange that he would choose a Russian female to disguise himself in to the story but all the same I think that this is the main fact that shows us that the author himself is his own biggest admirer. I guess that this is where my criticism starts. I must comment about the surprising (at least for me) way the author chooses to end the book, where he predicts very little success for his next book. I think it has something to do with general trends in the financial industry, while in the case of the "Black Swan" he addressed controversial ideas that have been on everybody's mind, this book was needed because the audience was mature and ready for it, I think his next book will address some underground ideas that the industry isn't ready for and will reject it.