Skin in the Game
Ratings44
Average rating3.3
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.
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.
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The rate of fresh insight that NNT delivers means you can't lose focus for a second lest you lose one. I really loved the first half of this book. It's not meant to educate so much as to be a vehicle for the authors prodigious intellect. He never stops for a second to explain a term which is a little frustrating sometimes as his self-expressor vs other-educator ratio makes him feel somewhat arrogant sometimes. I loved the premise of the book around the significance of “skin in the game” which is such an important concept that is paid much too little attention to in our culture. The later half of the book I found less engaging. I would have liked to see the concept of SITG applied in different domains such as the all-important one of our own lives in which I feel people live as if they don't have skin in the game.
