Volatility:
from it,
there are
things that gain, and
those which abhor;
The antifragile is sustained,
The fragile faces horror.
This lyric encodes—for me—the meaning I've taken from Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder.
Antifragile - by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Certain aspects or dimensions of our modern world are fragile. When a thing is fragile, it has what Taleb refers to as negative convexity: in other words it is harmed by volatility. The opposite is not robustness—nothing wrong with robustness!—but rather antifragility.
Which systems, industries, professions, roles, activities, etc. benefit from volatility? Taleb invites the read to look around. Published in 2012, more useful than ever.
Taleb is also the author of:
Fooled by Randomness (2001, 2004)
The Black Swan (2007, 2010)
The Bed of Procrustes (2010, 2016)
Skin in the Game (2018)
Incerto's Technical Companion (2020?)
Hey, what's up everybody. This is Erik. Glad you're here. Go ahead and check out everything we're doing, from my fiction, book reviews, book clubs, and of course, some writing courses as well for some of my friends, maybe we'll see—anyway, join the conversation and look out for upcoming events. I'll talk to you soon. Invite your friends (if you want to), because it makes it better when there's more of us like-minded folks around. Okay. Talk to you soon. Take care. Welcome to Esoterik. Let's do this.
