Rating: 5.7/10.
This is the third Taleb book that I’ve read, and it was recommended by [redacted]. I’m disappointed in this book, and felt it was downhill from Black Swan, then to Antifragile, then this book. Compared to the previous two books, it’s a lot less structured, and he kind of throws out a mix of ideas that have some loose connection to having / not having skin in the game. Also I feel that his arrogance has ramped up even more compared to before. I’ve had enough of this guy and won’t read any more of his books.
The central premise of the book is the concept of “skin in the game”, where if you’re insulated from potential downsides of your actions, then you’re likely to take more risks in a way that’s harmful overall. This is a fair observation that I’d agree with (one example in my life: my landlord is okay with taking several weeks to install a fiber connection because he doesn’t suffer from lack of WiFi). Then Taleb gives a bunch of examples of this from politics, economics, and religion, but they’re very haphazard and disconnected.
