Fyodor Dostoyevsky in his novel Notes from Underground presents another strong case against the blind reliance on logic and science for the betterment of humankind. Dostoyevsky presents his arguments through a fictional character – the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Favorite Literature Books
To someone who tries to understand the world, reading literature might seem like wasting time. Why read something that is not true? Why read something that’s a product of someone’s imagination?
La Rochefoucauld on The Perverted Nature of Love
François VI, duke de La Rochefoucauld was a 17th-century French nobleman and author. Along with writers such as Vauvenargues, La Bruyère, Chamfort, he was a part of the so-called “French Moralists” – a group of…
Seneca’s 12 Rules for a Better Life
In his letters to Lucilius, Seneca gives him the following advice: “Measure your life: it just does not have room for so much.” There lies the irony of life. Even though wise people teach you…
Did The Move From Hunter-Gatherer Life Make Us Better Off?
A series of trivial decisions aimed mostly at filling a few stomachs and gaining a little security had the cumulative effect of forcing ancient foragers to spend their days carrying water buckets under a scorching sun.
John Gray on Fictions or What’s Wrong With Holding Beliefs
I think the dependency on beliefs, the idea that a set of beliefs or a system of beliefs can somehow provide meaning to human life, is a mistake. – John Gray
Nassim Taleb on Why Being Nonsucker is More Important Than Being Right
In real life… exposure is more important than knowledge; decision effects supersede logic. – Nassim Taleb One of the most useful and applicable distinctions I came accross reading Nassim Taleb’s book Antifragile: Things That Gain…
Michel de Montaigne on Luck and Why You Shouldn’t Regret Your Decisions
What we know today as the Outcome Bias was clear to Michel de Montaigne five centuries ago – we are rarely in complete control over the outcomes of our decisions, and often we’re not to…
Nassim Nicholas Taleb on “Seneca’s Barbell” – The Strategy for an Antifragile Life
Antifragility implies more to gain than to lose, equals more upside than downside, equals (favorable) asymmetry. … Fragility implies more to lose than to gain, equals more downside than upside, equals (unfavorable) asymmetry. – Nassim…