Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder: 3 (Incerto) Paperback – 28 Jan. 2014

The third book of Taleb's Incerto trilogy was published in November 2012 and is now available in paperback. His first two books, Fooled By Randomness and The Black Swan, sold so well that he was paid an advance of $4m for the final instalment.Antifragile is an interesting read both intellectually and personally. Taleb famously gives little away to journalists but in this book his personality shines out through his writing. So emotionally charged is the book, I thought it would be appropriate to review it by reference to the subjects contained that come in for the most vitriol from Taleb.1. BankersReaders familiar with Taleb's other writings will already know how he feels about bankers. Taleb's definition of antifragility (systems that get stronger under volatility, as opposed to fragile ones that break) stems from his work in banking. One criticism that is already gaining much ground elsewhere is the absence of "skin in the game" for traders gambling with their clients' money. But Taleb's dislike of bankers is not just an academic one. Personal insults abound, including a "suit" held to task for getting a porter to carry his bags to the gym.2. PoliticiansFragility is often seen at a relatively simple level, a glass being the obvious example, whereas antifragility is a property of complex systems - the human body, human populations or markets. Politicians come under fire on (at least!) two counts. First, they cause chaos by interfering with systems that they do not understand. In particular, interventions by politicians tend to favour eradication of error, which increases fragility and risk of collapse. Secondly, and more strongly, politicians frequently gain personal advantage at the cost of others by talking a good game that they do not practice in their own lives.3. EconomistsI don't think I need to explain why Taleb hates economists or give examples from the book. Instead I just want to mention Taleb's rather touching fondness for Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Despite Taleb naming the Stiglitz syndrome (predicting the future inconsistently and only taking credit for the ones that turn out to be correct) after him, Stiglitz does not come in for the same strength of insults dished out to other "fragilistas" and I am amused by my impression Taleb secretly quite likes him.4. Alternative MedicineTaleb has a disdain for all modern medicine, and a whole section of the book explains the wrongheadedness of risking a serious issue by using insufficiently tested medicine for a non-life-threatening condition. The terrible example of treating morning sickness with thalidomide makes this point well. But don't confuse Taleb's skepticism with a belief in alternative therapies - he "went postal" on receiving a letter of support from one such practitioner saying she understood how he felt.5. Orange JuiceTaleb's hatred for orange juice is an example of a wider disdain for the modern diet. He reveals his personal food rules, and very fascinating they are: no liquids that have not existed for at least one thousand years (i.e. wine, water and coffee only), no fruit not present in the ancient Mediterranean (no pineapples, pawpaws or other exotica) and observance of Greek Orthodox fasts for health rather than religious reasons. He considers oranges to be the equivalent of candy, as the modern variety have been intentionally bred for their sweetness.I found Antifragile to be thought provoking and very entertaining. It is full of contradictions and inconsistencies, but the sincere passion behind the main themes gives the book its charm. The most delicious irony is that according to Taleb's own criteria - a book is more likely to contain accurate useful ideas the longer it has been in existence - the reader made their first mistake in choosing to pick the book up.

The popularity of Taleb's books and ideas is perhaps better captured on his Facebook page than Amazon, where he has thousands of likes and hundreds participate in discussions he stimulates. There are many people who, probably like myself, consider him one of the finest minds of the past 50 years. It is hard to capture quite what he does. I expect that if you read his book from one perspective, such as business or economics or politics or risk management that you will be interested by some parts of it and uninterested by others.But If like me you are truly interested in society, human nature and potential then this is a book full of profound insight and deductions. Sure, it is opinionated. He seems to be opinionated to his own detriment rather than to sell a book, as he has to deal with things like death threats and hate mail etc, and he has bulked up to be like a bodyguard to help with this.If you are a philosopher who suspects that there are some fundamental misconceptions within modern society, then Taleb is bound to stimulate you with his work. He doesn't just rely on personal experience and logic and opinion to create and illustrate his arguments, but a life-time's intelligent reading, and three years seclusion and study (approx). Taleb in a way trained himself in literature and art before moving onto statistics and then to pretty much every subject that exists. And this comes through. He gives a holistic interpretation of reality, human knowledge, society, maths etc. But this is backed up, in the appendix, by truly insightful qualified debunking of some economic theories such as the Ricardo-Smith comparative advantage thingy.Overall, Taleb comes through as a truly original thinker. His ideas are new philosophy, but he somehow manages to take a different direction to the postmodernists who in a way tackled similar subjects, drawing in contrast on historic wisdom as a theme. Things tend to survive for a reason. And he takes the rare point of view (which may never be repeated) of someone who has managed to work within and alongside academia, but has successfully preserved his skepticism of academic thought and knowledge. But perhaps more than anything, his book with its countless illustrative diversions will teach you so much about the history of good ideas and the makers of world culture.