Science Books

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Bestselling author Nassim Nicholas Taleb continues his exploration of randomness in his fascinating new book, The Black Swan, in which he examines the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events that have massive impact.

See also:

Computers & Math

Reference

Engaging and enlightening, The Black Swan is a book that may change the way you think about the world, a book that Chris Anderson calls, "a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature." See Anderson's entire guest review below.

Guest Reviewer: Chris AndersonChris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and the author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.

Four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon warned that our minds are wired to deceive us.

"Beware the fallacies into which undisciplined thinkers most easily fall--they are the real distorting prisms of human nature." Chief among them: "Assuming more order than exists in chaotic nature." Now consider the typical stock market report: "Today investors bid shares down out of concern over Iranian oil production." Sigh.

We're still doing it.

Our brains are wired for narrative, not statistical uncertainty.

For more information about the title The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

Stumbling on Happiness — Do you know what makes you happy? Daniel Gilbert would bet that you think you do, but you are most likely wrong. In his witty and engaging new book, ... > read more

Statistics for Business and Economics (with CD-ROM) — With Anderson/Sweeney/Williams' market-leading STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, 10e, you'll learn much more than simply how to solve ... > read more

My Life as a Quant: Reflections on Physics and Finance — Emanuel Derman was one of the first physicists to move to Wall Street, and his career paralleled the growth of quantitative trading over the past ... > read more

Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking — Do you believe that you can consistently beat the stock market if you put in the effort? —that some people have extrasensory perception? ... > read more

Note: This page refers to a book description provided by Amazon.com through its Associates Program. All text, images, and related information about this product are protected by applicable copyright law. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Recommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

| More

Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Publisher: Random House

Date: Apr. 17, 2007

List Price:

~~$26.95~~

Discount Price:

$15.16

Stock Returns: Political Variables Do Not Improve The Performance Of Trading Rules (January 21, 2009) — A new study provides empirical evidence on the Democratic premium and the presidential cycle effect by examining the implications of both factors on the predictability of US excess stock ... > read more

UCLA Physicist Applies Physics To Best-Selling Books (December 3, 2004) — Yes, says UCLA physicist and complex systems theorist Didier Sornette, who used statistical physics and mathematics to analyze 138 books that made Amazon.com's best-seller list between 1997 and ... > read more

Stock Market Crashes Are Predictable, Major Decline Is Coming In 2003 And 2004, Says UCLA Physicist (December 17, 2002) — Successfully predicting stock market swings is as futile as searching for the fountain of youth, some people believe. UCLA physicist and complex-systems theorist Didier Sornette is not among them. ... > read more

Better Predictions Of Share Yields (January 6, 2009) — It is not easy to predict stock market trends. Two financial researchers at BI Norwegian School of Management have identified a target indicator that can predict future return on ... > read more

Mathematical Tools For Forecasting Stock Market Work For Ecology Too (January 5, 2008) — Animal populations and the stock market are hard to forecast. Both are generated by complicated, interdependent systems. Unlike financial stocks, where trades are meticulously recorded, scientists ... > read more

Beliefs Drive Investors More Than Preferences (August 28, 2012) — New research casts doubt on the widely held theory that individual investors’ decisions are driven mainly by their feelings toward losses and ... > read more

Dancing Robot Swan Triggers Emotions (September 22, 2010) — 'The Dying Swan' is sometimes moving smoothly and gently, sometimes in a dramatic and fiery manner, as Tchaikovsky's majestic music from the ballet Swan Lake is playing; yet this is no ordinary ... > read more

Artificial Intelligence To Tackle Rogue Traders (April 8, 2009) — Researchers are working on a smart computer that they believe will be able to detect insider trading fraud within the stock exchange almost ... > read more