Skin in the Game
2018 • 272 pages

Ratings44

Average rating3.3

15

The phrase "skin in the game" is one we have often heard but have rarely stopped to truly dissect. It is the backbone of risk management, but it's also an astonishingly complex worldview that, as Nassim Nicholas Taleb shows in this book, applies to literally all aspects of our lives. In his inimitable style, Taleb pulls on everything from Antaeus the Giant to Hammurabi to Donald Trump to Seneca to the ethics of disagreement to create a jaw-dropping tapestry for understanding our world in a brand new way.

The phrase "skin in the game" means that you do not pay attention to what people say, only to what they do, and to how much of their necks they are putting on the line. This willingness to accept one's own risks is an essential attribute of people in all walks of life. Taleb challenges long-held beliefs about those who control our military, finances, religions, and so much more-- and shows how "skin in the game" applies to all aspects of our lives.


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Series

Series

5 primary books

#5 in Incerto

Incerto is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

#1
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
#2
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
#3
The Bed of Procrustes
#4
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
#5
Skin in the Game

Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

3.5

June 19, 2020

Pros: good ideas
Cons: poorly written

December 27, 2018
October 4, 2023