Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

Taleb Nassim Nicholas

Published by Penguin 2007

About this Item

8vo, br. ed. If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad are successful enough to make the books bestsellers, then one must ask, Why aren't there more millionaires? In Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a professional trader and mathematics professor, examines what randomness means in business and in life and why human beings are so prone to mistake dumb luck for consummate skill. This eccentric and highly personal exploration of the nature of randomness meanders from the court of Croesus and trading rooms in New York and London to Russian roulette, Monte Carlo engines, and the philosophy of Karl Popper. Part of what makes this book so good is Taleb's ability to make seemingly arcane mathematical concepts (at least to this reviewer) entirely relevant in evaluating and understanding everything from the stock market to the success of those millionaires cited in the aforementioned bestsellers. Here's an articulate, wise, and humorous meditation on the nature of success and failure that anyone who wants a little more of the former would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards.

Seller Inventory # 211015382

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
• Publisher: Penguin 2007
• Binding: Soft Cover
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Scienza Science Mathematics