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Monthly Archives: February 2010

nntaleb: If you want people to read a book, tell them it is overrated.

nntaleb: If you want people to read a book, tell them it is overrated.

nntaleb: Their sabbatical is to work six days and rest for one; my sabbatical is to work for (part of) a day and rest for six.

nntaleb: Their sabbatical is to work six days and rest for one; my sabbatical is to work for (part of) a day and rest for six.

nntaleb: Classical man wd be horrified to see power & respect given to men without great acts of courage -like calling “hero” a golfer (now-castrated

nntaleb: Classical man wd be horrified to see power & respect given to men without great acts of courage -like calling “hero” a golfer (now-castrated

nntaleb: City-states organize by tinkering; nation-states produce bureaucracies, empty suits, Bernankes, deficits, and the toobigtofail. Too obvious.

nntaleb: City-states organize by tinkering; nation-states produce bureaucracies, empty suits, Bernankes, deficits, and the toobigtofail. Too obvious.

nntaleb: answ:[ If you can't detect (w/out understanding) the difference betw sacred & profane you'll never know what religion means. Same with art ]

nntaleb: answ:[ If you can't detect (w/out understanding) the difference betw sacred & profane you'll never know what religion means. Same with art ]

nntaleb: Atheism/materialism means treating the dead as if they were unborn. I won’t. By respecting the sacred you reinvent religion.

nntaleb: Atheism/materialism means treating the dead as if they were unborn. I won’t. By respecting the sacred you reinvent religion.

nntaleb: A idiot-economist said “all models are wrong, some are useful”; shd be “Most models are wrong, some are dangerous; try to know where”.

nntaleb: A idiot-economist said “all models are wrong, some are useful”; shd be “Most models are wrong, some are dangerous; try to know where”.

nntaleb: I wonder if a lion (or a cannibal) would pay a high premium for free-range humans. [modern bondage]

nntaleb: I wonder if a lion (or a cannibal) would pay a high premium for free-range humans. [modern bondage]

nntaleb: Writing is the art of repeating oneself without anyone noticing.

nntaleb: Writing is the art of repeating oneself without anyone noticing.

First Lecture in the Philosophy of Probability

As mentioned in an earlier Tweet from NNT, here’s the link to his recent Princeton philosophy dept. lecture. Title suggests there will be more. Certainly hope so, although for the more general ‘reader’ such as myself, I do wish someone would create a ‘Fat Tony’ version notes page. http://fooledbyrandomness.com/philo-lecture.htm For some reason the audio file [...]

nntaleb: You know you have influence when people start noticing your absence more than the presence of others.

nntaleb: You know you have influence when people start noticing your absence more than the presence of others.

nntaleb: Dream to be a janitor in a philosophy department came true! http://fooledbyrandomness.com/philo-lecture.htm

nntaleb: Dream to be a janitor in a philosophy department came true! http://fooledbyrandomness.com/philo-lecture.htm

nntaleb: (cont)… what they call literature I call journalism; what they call journalism I call gossip & what they call gossip I call voyeurism.

nntaleb: (cont)… what they call literature I call journalism; what they call journalism I call gossip & what they call gossip I call voyeurism.

nntaleb: How superb to become wise without being boring; how sad to be boring without being wise [Bernanke].

nntaleb: How superb to become wise without being boring; how sad to be boring without being wise [Bernanke].

nntaleb: In ’02, M.Scholes said he “would not honor Taleb with a reply”,then promptly honored Taleb with a reply. We use qualifiers for selfdelusion

nntaleb: In ’02, M.Scholes said he “would not honor Taleb with a reply”,then promptly honored Taleb with a reply. We use qualifiers for selfdelusion

nntaleb: They drive to the gym (in a box), get on the treadmill, then wonder why people eat sardines out of a box.

nntaleb: They drive to the gym (in a box), get on the treadmill, then wonder why people eat sardines out of a box.

nntaleb: The role of the media is best seen in the journey from Cato the elder to Sarah Palin. Do some extrapolation if you want to be scared.

nntaleb: The role of the media is best seen in the journey from Cato the elder to Sarah Palin. Do some extrapolation if you want to be scared.

nntaleb: [Ethics, Cognitive Dissonnance & Diffusion of Responsibility, Chap, why we need to worry about econ, "risk experts", & other charlatans]

nntaleb: [Ethics, Cognitive Dissonnance & Diffusion of Responsibility, Chap, why we need to worry about econ, "risk experts", & other charlatans]

nntaleb: Most modern technologies are deferred punishment.

nntaleb: Most modern technologies are deferred punishment.

nntaleb: “Evolution does not teach by convincing, but by destroying.” [Fat Tony on why Robert Merton, univ tenures in econ, and bailouts are dangers]

nntaleb: “Evolution does not teach by convincing, but by destroying.” [Fat Tony on why Robert Merton, univ tenures in econ, and bailouts are dangers]

nntaleb: The Stoic sage shd withdraw frm public efforts when unheeded & state is corrupt beyond repair.[Seneca] Wiser to wait for selfdestruction.

nntaleb: The Stoic sage shd withdraw frm public efforts when unheeded & state is corrupt beyond repair.[Seneca] Wiser to wait for selfdestruction.

nntaleb: @pkedrosky it means nothing can be deemed unconditionally good or unconditionally bad. I systematized what Nietzsche said intuitively

nntaleb: @pkedrosky it means nothing can be deemed unconditionally good or unconditionally bad. I systematized what Nietzsche said intuitively

nntaleb: @PhilipHotchkiss Complexity= More causal opacity (less visible rules, hence less Platonic forms) –will send kedrosky draft as per custom

nntaleb: @PhilipHotchkiss Complexity= More causal opacity (less visible rules, hence less Platonic forms) –will send kedrosky draft as per custom

nntaleb: There is nothing deemed harmful (in general) that cannot be beneficial in some particular instances. Universals are weaker under complexity.

nntaleb: There is nothing deemed harmful (in general) that cannot be beneficial in some particular instances. Universals are weaker under complexity.

nntaleb: New tragedy of universals: There is nothing harmful in the general that cannot be good in some instances of the particular. Nothing.

nntaleb: New tragedy of universals: There is nothing harmful in the general that cannot be good in some instances of the particular. Nothing.