Pure Writerly Moments 2 (Short Stories, Essays, Book Reviews, and More)

Review - Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life

1. I can't rate this book. This seems an absurd thing to say, but it's hard to rate a book that often comes off as a pre-pubescent twitter rant. I think the problem is that Taleb's classical (and anti-modern) sense of honor screeches against my modern ears. Also, his classical sense of honor often devolves into the aesthetics of blue-collar water cooler bullshit sessions (I've been around too many of these), twitter rants, and toxic masculinity.

1a. At one point Taleb addresses a letter from someone who said something similar to which he replied "f*** you." I find myself above replying with a corresponding f*** y**, but I suppose since the book in encouraging me to say, f*** y** back to Taleb, I should say f*** y**? Since the book is about ethics (and his past books have been about power), what should someone who is capable of saying f*** y** do in a situation like this? Does not saying f*** y**, mean you have less soul in the game, does it make you a dog among wolves, or are you just the better man? My own philosophy is that having the ability to say f*** y** via f*** y** money and physical preparation is prudent, but not saying f*** y** anyway through a mixture of modern (your school teachers taught you not to do it) and premodern (your mom would spank your behind) ethical training (probably by women, who lets face it, are better than men) is fine too, if not divine. Forghetabout it? It's really hard to once the words are out there.

1b. I still believe twitter was a technology that was supposed to be for teens and that in brings out the worst in people.

2. The actual philosophy of this book is wonderful and deserves at least two readings. I own the paperback in question, so I can just cross out flagrant vulgarity with a black pen. There isn't that much of it (just enough to make the book unrateable).

3. If you've read Antifragile and Black Swan, much of what is written in this book (but not all) will seem redundant. I think once you've figured out the core of Taleb's philosophy you can start applying it to your own problems with ease. It does help, however, to go back and see how he applies it. I consider Fooled by Randomness to be less essential than Antifragile and Black Swan, but an interesting case study to understand how philosophies evolve.

Since apparently, I'm not a real man unless I deadlift, and deadlifting is more important than book lifting at a library, and since I haven't deadlifted since high school football, I guess I should get back to deadlifting. Sadly, 350 pounds was my max in high school and all I've been doing since then is trying to improve myself with book learning.

That, or I can embrace a very hidden asymmetrical truth about modernity. Modernity has unlocked the once hidden power of women -- women thinkers, women writers (some who deadlift, many who don't) -- thus, roughly doubling the amount of ingenuity and talent (at least in places that are modern). An interesting question, one I think deserves some thought: How do intelligent, working women -- and to be fair entrepreneurs -- read Taleb? I think I'll explore the Goodreads comment sections and find out.