Skin in the Game

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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.

Our thoughts on Skin in the Game

What ties the American Red Cross, investment banks, and the Iraq War together? Nassim Nicholas Taleb, an intellectual provocateur, claims that none of them have "skin in the game"—something to lose if their objectives aren't realized. The most significant factor in human advancement, in Taleb's opinion, is the basic failsafe that we disregard much too frequently.

Nassim Taleb, a controversial thinker, discusses how skin in the game has built the world as we know it and why humanity's biggest problems are caused by the fact that we don't have enough of it. Skin in the Game is the fifth book in his popular Incerto series. Taleb is a former options trader.

Our favourite quote from Skin in the Game

The curse of modernity is that we are increasingly populated by a class of people who are better at explaining than understanding, or better at explaining than doing.

15 recommendations for Skin in the Game

15 recommendation for Skin in the Game

Book Summary

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The curse of modernity is that we are increasingly populated by a class of people who are better at explaining than understanding, or better at explaining than doing.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Skin in the Game