Audiobooks by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

[German] - Der Schwarze Schwan - Die Macht höchst unwahrscheinlicher Ereignisse (Ungekürzt)

Schwarze Schwäne stehen symbolisch für das, womit wir nicht rechnen. Bis ins 17. Jahrhundert waren die Menschen in der Alten Welt überzeugt, alle Schwäne seien weiß. Dann wurde Australien entdeckt. Dort gibt es schwarze Schwäne - was keiner für möglich gehalten hatte, war auf einmal Realität. Wenn uns im Alltag ungeahnte Überraschungen begegnen, ist das vielleicht noch nicht so schlimm. Suchen sie jedoch gesamte Volkswirtschaften heim, kann das System kollabieren. Denn unsere Welt ist fragiler, als wir denken: Schon kleinste Fehler können eine Katastrophe auslösen und sie ins Chaos stürzen. Nassim Nicholas Taleb zeigt in seinem bahnbrechenden Meisterwerk, dass wir jederzeit mit 'Schwarzen Schwänen' rechnen sollten. Der erstaunliche Erfolg von Google ist ein Schwarzer Schwan, die Terrorattacken vom 11. September 2001 und globale Finanzkrisen ebenso, aber auch der Siegeszug des Internets: Wer hätte damit allen Ernstes vorher gerechnet? Epidemien, die Mode, Ideen, die Entstehung von Gattungen und Schulen in der Kunst - all das erfolgt nach der Dynamik der Schwarzen Schwäne. In diesem Hörbuch erfahren Sie: - warum unsere Welt vom Extremen, Unbekannten und sehr Unwahrscheinlichen beherrscht wird; - weshalb Menschen sich auf die Kleinigkeiten, und nicht auf die möglichen großen bedeutungsvollen Ereignisse konzentrieren, trotz der offensichtlichen Beweise für ihren starken Einfluss; - wieso man keinen Börsengurus und Risikomanagern von Banken und Versicherungen vertrauen soll; - weshalb das Lesen der Zeitung unser Wissen über die Welt verringert; - was der große intellektuelle Betrug ist; - warum Schwarze Schwäne sich nicht vorhersagen lassen.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Stefan Barth (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Narren des Zufalls - Die unterschätzte Rolle des Zufalls in unserem Leben (Ungekürzt)

In diesem Hörbuch geht es um Glück und Zufall, genauer gesagt darum, wie wir Glück und Zufall im Alltags- und Geschäftsleben wahrnehmen und damit umgehen. Die meisten Menschen denken, dass die Erfolge auf ihre 'Strategie' und ihr 'Können' zurückführen. Doch bestimmen Glück und Zufall unser Leben stärker, als wir denken. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, renommierter Forscher in den Bereichen Risiko und Zufall, Finanzmathematiker und Bestsellerautor, entlarvt unsere menschliche Schwäche, dort Zusammenhänge zu suchen, wo keine sind. Taleb zeigt anhand von vielen Geschichten, warum wir die Welt als viel erklärbarer ansehen, als sie tatsächlich ist. Das Hörbuch wird von einer Reihe von Figuren bevölkert, von denen einige auf ihre eigene Weise die Bedeutung des Zufalls erkannt haben: die Baseball-Legende Yogi Berra, der Philosoph Karl Popper, der weiseste Mann der Antike Solon, der moderne Finanzier George Soros und viele andere. In diesem kenntnisreichen, tiefsinnigen und unterhaltsamen Hörbuch erfahren wir: - Wie wir oft fälschlicherweise Glück für Geschick halten, - Warum Glück jeden treffen kann, ungeachtet seiner ursprünglichen Fähigkeiten, - Warum der Börsenhandel oft wie russisches Roulette ist - ein gefährliches Spiel, dessen Ausgang niemand vorhersagen kann, - Wie wir den Zufall in unser Leben mit einbeziehen und uns davor schützen können, in Zukunft vom Zufall zum Narren gehalten zu werden.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Stefan Barth (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Antifragiliät - Anleitung für eine Welt, die wir nicht verstehen (Ungekürzt)

Wir leben in einer unsicheren Welt, und das System, das sie beherrscht, hat auf dramatische Weise vorgeführt, wie zerbrechlich es ist. Und doch haben wir nichts daraus gelernt und setzen dieser Fragilität keine 'Antifragilität' entgegen. Nassim Nicholas Taleb zeigt uns indes, wie das gehen kann. In seinem Weltbestseller 'Der Schwarze Schwan' problematisierte Taleb die zunehmende Unberechenbarkeit der Welt. In 'Antifragilität' liefert 'der führende Denker unserer Zeit' (Times) eine wirkmächtige Gebrauchsanweisung, wie wir selbst, unsere Unternehmen und Strukturen, Chaos und unberechenbare Ereignisse nicht nur überstehen, sondern sogar davon profitieren können. Denn alles, was nicht antifragil ist, wird verschwinden. So wie menschliche Knochen stärker werden, wenn sie Stress und Spannung ausgesetzt sind, profitieren viele Dinge im Leben von Stress, Unordnung und Unbeständigkeit. Was Taleb identifiziert hat und als antifragil bezeichnet, sind Dinge, die nicht nur vom Chaos profitieren, sondern es brauchen, um zu überleben und zu gedeihen. Taleb überträgt seine Erkenntnisse aus der Zufallsforschung auf nahezu alle lebenspraktischen Bereiche, von der Erziehung über Kultur bis zur Politik. So gelingt ihm eine große, praktisch-philosophische Antwort auf die Herausforderungen unsicherer Zeiten. In diesem Hörbuch erfahren Sie: - wieso Sie nicht gewinnen, indem Sie Zufälle und Ungewissheit um jeden Preis abzuwehren versuchen, - wie Sie Ihr Unternehmen krisenfest aufstellen und die Reaktionen des Unternehmens auf unvorhersehbare Ereignisse allgemein verbessern können, - warum kleine Strukturen besser sind als große, Stadtstaaten besser als Nationen und warum das, was wir als 'effizient' bezeichnen, alles andere als effizient ist, - wieso selbst negative Ereignisse wie die Finanzkrise 2008 eine positive Wirkung haben können, - warum Silicon Valley mehr Erfolg hat als das Bankensystem, - warum Zahnärzte und LKW-Fahrer 'antifragiler' sind als Bischöfe und Geschäftsführer, - warum Schulden abhängig machen und warum alles, was zu kompliziert ist, von der Bildfläche verschwinden wird.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Arvid Schalle (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: 'On Robustn

The Black Swan is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don't understand. The other books in the series are Fooled by Randomness, Antifragile, Skin in the Game, and The Bed of Procrustes. A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives. Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don't know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the "impossible." For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we actually do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world. In this revelatory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don't know, and this second edition features a new philosophical and empirical essay, "On Robustness and Fragility," which offers tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan world. Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications, The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to probability theory. The Black Swan is a landmark book-itself a black swan. Includes a bonus pdf of tables and figures. Praise for Nassim Nicholas Taleb "The most prophetic voice of all."-GQ Praise for The Black Swan "[A book] that altered modern thinking."-The Times (London) "A masterpiece."-Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired, author of The Long Tail "Idiosyncratically brilliant."-Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times "The Black Swan changed my view of how the world works."-Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate "[Taleb writes] in a style that owes as much to Stephen Colbert as it does to Michel de Montaigne. . . . We eagerly romp with him through the follies of confirmation bias [and] narrative fallacy."-The Wall Street Journal "Hugely enjoyable-compelling . . . easy to dip into."-Financial Times "Engaging . . . The Black Swan has appealing cheek and admirable ambition."-The New York Times Book Review

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Joe Ochman (Narrator)

Audiobook

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

Fooled by Randomness is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don't understand. The other books in the series are The Black Swan, Antifragile, Skin in the Game, and The Bed of Procrustes. Now in a striking new hardcover edition, Fooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb-veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan-has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. This book is about luck-or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill-the world of trading-Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives. The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of chance: the baseball legend Yogi Berra; the philosopher of knowledge Karl Popper; the ancient world's wisest man, Solon; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Odysseus. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life but falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness. However, the most recognizable character of all remains unnamed-the lucky fool who happens to be in the right place at the right time-he embodies the "survival of the least fit." Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru's insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance. Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the goddess Fortuna, but after reading Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared. Includes bonus pdf of tables and figures. PRAISE FOR FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS: Named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All Time A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year "[Fooled by Randomness] is to conventional Wall Street wisdom approximately what Martin Luther's ninety-five theses were to the Catholic Church." -Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink "The book that rolled down Wall Street like a hand grenade." -Maggie Mahar, author of Bull! A History of the Boom, 1982-1999 "Fascinating . . . Taleb will grab you." -Peter L. Bernstein, author of Capital Ideas Evolving "Recalls the best of scientist/essayists like Richard Dawkins . . . and Stephen Jay Gould." -Michael Schrage, author of Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate "We need a book like this. . . . Fun to read, refreshingly independent-minded." -Robert J. Shiller, author of Irrational Exuberance "Powerful . . . loaded with crackling little insights [and] extreme brilliance." -National Review

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Joe Ochman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan, a bold new work that challenges many of our long-held beliefs about risk and reward, politics and religion, finance and personal responsibility In his most provocative and practical book yet, one of the foremost thinkers of our time redefines what it means to understand the world, succeed in a profession, contribute to a fair and just society, detect nonsense, and influence others. Citing examples ranging from Hammurabi to Seneca, Antaeus the Giant to Donald Trump, Nassim Nicholas Taleb shows how the willingness to accept one's own risks is an essential attribute of heroes, saints, and flourishing people in all walks of life. As always both accessible and iconoclastic, Taleb challenges long-held beliefs about the values of those who spearhead military interventions, make financial investments, and propagate religious faiths. Among his insights: For social justice, focus on symmetry and risk sharing. You cannot make profits and transfer the risks to others, as bankers and large corporations do. You cannot get rich without owning your own risk and paying for your own losses. Forcing skin in the game corrects this asymmetry better than thousands of laws and regulations. Ethical rules aren't universal. You're part of a group larger than you, but it's still smaller than humanity in general. Minorities, not majorities, run the world. The world is not run by consensus but by stubborn minorities imposing their tastes and ethics on others. You can be an intellectual yet still be an idiot. "Educated philistines" have been wrong on everything from Stalinism to Iraq to low-carb diets. Beware of complicated solutions (that someone was paid to find). A simple barbell can build muscle better than expensive new machines. True religion is commitment, not just faith. How much you believe in something is manifested only by what you're willing to risk for it. The phrase "skin in the game" is one we have often heard but rarely stopped to truly dissect. It is the backbone of risk management, but it's also an astonishingly rich worldview that, as Taleb shows in this book, applies to all aspects of our lives. As Taleb says, "The symmetry of skin in the game is a simple rule that's necessary for fairness and justice, and the ultimate BS-buster," and "Never trust anyone who doesn't have skin in the game. Without it, fools and crooks will benefit, and their mistakes will never come back to haunt them."

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Joe Ochman (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market

The incredible true story of the cardcounting mathematics professor who taught the world how to beat the dealer and, as the first of the great quantitative investors, ushered in a revolution on Wall Street. A child of the Great Depression, legendary mathematician Edward O. Thorp invented card counting, proving the seemingly impossible: that you could beat the dealer at the blackjack table. As a result he launched a gambling renaissance. His remarkable success—and mathematically unassailable method—caused such an uproar that casinos altered the rules of the game to thwart him and the legions he inspired. They barred him from their premises, even put his life in jeopardy. Nonetheless, gambling was forever changed. Thereafter, Thorp shifted his sights to “the biggest casino in the world”: Wall Street. Devising and then deploying mathematical formulas to beat the market, Thorp ushered in the era of quantitative finance we live in today. Along the way, the socalled godfather of the quants played bridge with Warren Buffett, crossed swords with a young Rudy Giuliani, detected the Bernie Madoff scheme, and, to beat the game of roulette, invented, with Claude Shannon, the world’s first wearable computer. Here, for the first time, Thorp tells the story of what he did, how he did it, his passions and motivations, and the curiosity that has always driven him to disregard conventional wisdom and devise gamechanging solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. An intellectual thrill ride, replete with practical wisdom that can guide us all in uncertain financial waters, A Man for All Markets is an instant classic—a book that challenges its readers to think logically about a seemingly irrational world. Advance praise for A Man for All Markets “An amazing book by a true icon . . . Edward O. Thorp launched revolutions in Vegas and on Wall Street by turning math into magic, and here he weaves his own life lessons into a pageturner as hot as a deck full of aces. Loved it!”—Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires “Whether you are an aspiring professional player, a casual gambler, or an occasional visitor to Las Vegas, you can feel the impact of Edward O. Thorp’s intellect on that desert city. In 1962, Thorp published the classic book Beat the Dealer. The text was based on Thorp’s original research that stemmed from his curiosity about the game of 21 and was billed as a howto book for the layperson to beat the casinos at blackjack. Simply stated, it changed everything. A Man for All Markets chronicles Thorp’s personal journey in navigating the unexpected and sometimes dangerous obstacles that come along with challenging the status quo of a wealthy corporate adversary.”—Nicholas G. Colon, professional advantage gambler and managing director, Alea Consulting Group “What a CV! Figure out how to win at blackjack using card counting? Check. Build the world’s first wearable computer? Check. Find the formula for valuing financial options but use it to make money rather than win a Nobel Prize? Check. This book is in part the gripping story of how one man’s genius and dedication has solved so many problems in diverse fields. But more important, it’s a fascinating insight into the thought processes of someone with little interest in fame, who has mostly stayed under the radar, yet who has followed his inquisitive mind wherever it has led him, and reaped the resulting rewards. There is nothing more important than knowing how to think clearly. Read this book and learn from a master.”—Paul Wilmott, founder, Wilmott magazine **Please Contact Customer Service for Additional Documents**

Edward O. Thorp, Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Edward O. Thorp (Narrator)

Audiobook

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Antifragile is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don't understand. The other books in the series are Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and The Bed of Procrustes. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the bestselling author of The Black Swan and one of the foremost thinkers of our time, reveals how to thrive in an uncertain world. Just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension, and rumors or riots intensify when someone tries to repress them, many things in life benefit from stress, disorder, volatility, and turmoil. What Taleb has identified and calls "antifragile" is that category of things that not only gain from chaos but need it in order to survive and flourish. In The Black Swan, Taleb showed us that highly improbable and unpredictable events underlie almost everything about our world. In Antifragile, Taleb stands uncertainty on its head, making it desirable, even necessary, and proposes that things be built in an antifragile manner. The antifragile is beyond the resilient or robust. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better and better. Furthermore, the antifragile is immune to prediction errors and protected from adverse events. Why is the city-state better than the nation-state, why is debt bad for you, and why is what we call "efficient" not efficient at all? Why do government responses and social policies protect the strong and hurt the weak? Why should you write your resignation letter before even starting on the job? How did the sinking of the Titanic save lives? The book spans innovation by trial and error, life decisions, politics, urban planning, war, personal finance, economic systems, and medicine. And throughout, in addition to the street wisdom of Fat Tony of Brooklyn, the voices and recipes of ancient wisdom, from Roman, Greek, Semitic, and medieval sources, are loud and clear. Antifragile is a blueprint for living in a Black Swan world. Erudite, witty, and iconoclastic, Taleb's message is revolutionary: The antifragile, and only the antifragile, will make it. Includes a bonus PDF of supplemental charts and graphics Please note that that bleeps in the audio are intentional and are as written by the author. No material is censored, and no audio content is missing. Praise for Antifragile "Ambitious and thought-provoking . . . highly entertaining."-The Economist "A bold book explaining how and why we should embrace uncertainty, randomness, and error . . . It may just change our lives."-Newsweek "Revelatory . . . [Taleb] pulls the reader along with the logic of a Socrates."-Chicago Tribune "Startling . . . richly crammed with insights, stories, fine phrases and intriguing asides . . . I will have to read it again. And again."-Matt Ridley, The Wall Street Journal "Trenchant and persuasive . . . Taleb's insatiable polymathic curiosity knows no bounds. . . . You finish the book feeling braver and uplifted."-New Statesman "Antifragility isn't just sound economic and political doctrine. It's also the key to a good life."-Fortune "At once thought-provoking and brilliant."-Los Angeles Times

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Joe Ochman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

The Bed of Procrustes takes its title from Greek mythology: the story of a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection by either stretching them or cutting their limbs. It represents Nassim Nicholas Taleb's view of modern civilization's hubristic side effects-modifying humans to satisfy technology, blaming reality for not fitting economic models, inventing diseases to sell drugs, defining intelligence as what can be tested in a classroom, and convincing people that employment is not slavery. Playful and irreverent, these aphorisms will surprise you by exposing self-delusions you have been living with but never recognized. With a rare combination of pointed wit and potent wisdom, Taleb plows through human illusions, contrasting the classical values of courage, elegance, and erudition against the modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phoniness. "The most prophetic voice of all." -GQ "The hottest thinker in the world." -Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times (London) "Idiosyncratically brilliant." -Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

Audiobook

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

This audiobook is about luck, or more precisely, how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. It is already a landmark work and its title has entered our vocabulary. In its second edition, Fooled by Randomness is now a cornerstone for anyone interested in random outcomes. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill, the world of trading, this audiobook is a captivating insight into one of the least understood factors of all our lives. In an entertaining narrative style, the author succeeds in tackling three major intellectual issues: the problem of induction, the survivorship biases, and our genetic unfitness to the modern word. Taleb uses stories and anecdotes to illustrate our overestimation of causality and the heuristics that make us view the world as far more explainable than it actually is. The audiobook is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of chance: Yogi Berra, the baseball legend; Karl Popper, the philosopher of knowledge; Solon, the ancient world's wisest man; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Ulysses. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life, but who also falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness. But the most recognizable character remains unnamed, the lucky fool in the right place at the right time - the embodiment of the "Survival of the Least Fit". Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru's insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained through chance. It may be impossible to guard against the vagaries of the Goddess Fortuna, but after listening to Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Black Swan

Maverick thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb had an illustrious career on Wall Street before turning his focus to his black swan theory. Not all swans are white, and not all events-no matter what the experts think-are predictable. Taleb shows that black swans, like 9/11, cannot be foreseen and have an immeasurable impact on the world. "[Taleb] administers a severe thrashing to MBA- and Nobel Prize-credentialed experts who make their living from economic forecasting."-Booklist

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Author), David Chandler (Narrator)

Audiobook