Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've purchased some of his previous books, but I borrowed this one from the library, and this will be my last Taleb book. Taleb said several times that all that matters is the reader (although the future reader- so probably still not me), so let me join the ranks of people who think the manner in which he conveys his ideas is ridiculously rude, offensive, and ineffective. I've read satire and that is certainly not the issue here. His tone was a disaster even at the beginning of the book, but I thought-- I can handle it, I'm not a delicate flower. Then I noticed his extreme lack of logical argument or evidence for his points in this book. I could think of numerous counterarguments and counter-examples to things he said, which Taleb never subsequently addressed. Then I noticed his tone and accusations were getting progressively ruder and more unsubstantiated.

While the basic "skin in the game" premise makes sense in a way that can be explained in a few sentences or a short essay, the rest of this book is mostly a diatribe against intellectuals and academics. And then Taleb tires to periodically rely on intellectuals for numerous arguments he makes. It's completely crazy. I mean, did he go off medication or develop a brain tumor? Because I actually really liked Black Swan, and I found Antifragile interesting. But I wouldn't recommend this one at all unless you want to waste a chunk of your life and maybe raise your blood pressure.

Also, you know what a central problem is with Taleb, in particular, attacking well-read educated individuals? They constitute the majority of the reading public, and especially the portion of the reading public that sits down with books about statistics or probability. He even specifically attacked intellectuals with Black Swan on their bookshelves. I mean, really.

PS. Is he pro-anxiety? I can oblige him there.

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