The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (Incerto)

Bed of ProcrustesÂ is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Talebâ€™s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we donâ€™t understand. The other books in the series areÂ Fooled by Randomness,Â The Black Swan,Â Antifragile,Â andÂ Skin in the Game.

By the author of the modern classic The Black Swan, this collection of aphorisms and meditations expresses his major ideas in ways you least expect.

The Bed of Procrustes takes its title from Greek mythology: the story of a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection by either stretching them or cutting their limbs. It represents Talebâ€™s view of modern civilizationâ€™s hubristic side effectsâ€”modifying humans to satisfy technology, blaming reality for not fitting economic models, inventing diseases to sell drugs, defining intelligence as what can be tested in a classroom, and convincing people that employment is not slavery.

Playful and irreverent, these aphorisms will surprise you by exposing self-delusions you have been living with but never recognized.

With a rare combination of pointed wit and potent wisdom, Taleb plows through human illusions, contrasting the classical values of courage, elegance, and erudition against the modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phoniness.

â€œTalebâ€™s crystalline nuggets of thought stand alone like esoteric poems.â€â€”Financial Times
Country USA
Brand Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 45053373
Color White
ReleaseDate 2016-10-25
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780812982404

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	45053373
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2016-10-25
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780812982404

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms (Incerto)

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