Why You Should Read Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder
Overview
Get ready to have your hair blown back.
That’s how I felt when, on my way to Cape Town this past February, I started reading Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The groundbreaking idea behind the book is that, in our world, things fit into one of three categories:
Fragile —> Robust —> Antifragile
We know when something is fragile – it doesn’t handle pressure or volatility very well.
If asked what the opposite of fragile is, most people would say robust, resilient, or something similar. But Taleb makes the case for why that’s not right. Instead, there is another unexamined category: antifragile – things that are strengthened by volatility.
He uses the example of a shipped package that is marked, “Fragile.”
If this encounters volatility during transit, it would be damaged. But what’s the opposite of incurring damage? It wouldn’t be resilience, where the package remains intact after it is dropped. The opposite of fragile would be that the package benefits from this volatility. That the package grows stronger from pressure. Think about the human body, and how adding stress – to a point – strengthens it as it recovers.
Most of the book elaborates on this concept and explains how it can be leveraged.
Taleb has great credibility here.
As a former trader, he gained prominence with his book, The Black Swan, in which he predicted the 2008 financial crisis. He benefited financially from the crisis because he positioned himself to take advantage of the fallout.
Throughout the 500-page read, Taleb explains how antifragility extends across most areas of our world, from the abstract or knowledge-based to the physical. One example that immediately rang a chord while en route to Cape Town was that of a tourist versus an adventurer. While a tourist is fragile and at the mercy of events (weather, disasters, disruption, etc.), an adventurer would be antifragile, as his adventure would benefit from volatility.
I had this in mind when I missed my connecting flight to South Africa. I was stuck in Newark on the coldest night of the year with just a sweatshirt. I could have let frustration consume me, but instead of letting this disruption ruin my trip, I made the most of it.
I befriended others who were in the same situation at the airport bar, navigated the airline's hotel and Lyft credit system to stay at the nicest hotel available, had a luxurious breakfast buffet, and then made a new friend on my rescheduled flight to Cape Town.
This turned out to be one of the highlights of my visit, as we spent the week going out and seeing the city together. In the end, I benefited from the travel disruption – antifragility in action.
The tourist/adventurer is just one example of dozens Taleb articulates throughout the book.
Much of what he discusses is focused on investing and finances. For example, a white-collar worker with only one income stream is fragile. But a white-collar worker with a wildly successful blog on the side (cough) is making himself more robust by diversifying his income stream. One could then become antifragile if turmoil hits – let’s say Artificial Intelligence replaces all white-collar jobs. Suddenly writing personal accounts of bro trips to Portugal might be the last game in town for humans, and your humble blogger will be well-positioned to benefit.
While some take issue with Taleb's abrasive writing style, I found it amusing and engaging. On the cover of his latest book, Skin in the Game, a promotional quote reads:
“The problem with Taleb is not that he’s an asshole. He is an asshole. The problem with Taleb is that he is right.”
Takeaways
I found dozens of thought-provoking insights throughout the read, and my copy is dog-eared on nearly every other page.
Taleb says he has read 30-60 hours a week since the age of 13, and the depth of support he provides for his arguments from classic and obscure writings supports this claim. A few of the bigger takeaways to me were:
The power of mindset:
Many of the examples of antifragility Taleb discusses would require an investment of time and resources (climbing out of debt, for instance).
But the principle remains in other areas that only need a shift in mindset. Going from tourist to adventurer is one example. But consider a stressful office job.
I know that, when I sign on to work tomorrow, there will be unknown volatility and turmoil thrown my way. I can make myself robust by taking care of what I know I need to do as soon as possible. I can then make myself antifragile by using the unknown turmoil as an opportunity to demonstrate my value. I can remain calm and collected and perform while others panic. Every challenge is an opportunity, one might say.
Via negativa:
“Less is more and usually more effective,” according to Taleb.
He argues throughout the book that, typically, we benefit more (grow more robust) from removing things than we do from adding them. Taleb is especially hard on medicine and pharma, using statistics and historical examples to argue against unnecessary medical intervention. He believes for healthy or near-healthy people, too much doctoring is more likely to harm you than receiving too little (he uses the term iatrogenics, “caused by the healer”).
I can think of many examples in my life where via negativa holds true.
My health will benefit from removing processed foods, excessive alcohol, or smoking (if I did). My performance at work improves when I reduce how often I check my email and cut out unneeded meetings. Happiness improves by cutting toxic people out of your life. Well-being improves by limiting social media use, and on and on.
“Perfection is finally obtained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there’s no longer anything to take away.”
The Power of Tinkering:
Taleb argues against the conventional wisdom that research, science, and academic institutions drive great innovation.
Instead, he argues great advancements in areas like architecture, cybernetics, and even the industrial revolution were the result of individuals and hobbyists merely tinkering with the current technology that existed at the time. Once the advancements are made, the “expert” class sweeps in to claim credit and teach the principles behind it. Or as he puts it, to “lecture birds how to fly.”
I see the wisdom here and how it applies to our day-to-day life.
I learn more about blogging and web development by doing it and continually tinkering than I would through a tutorial. If you want to learn to draw, take a piece of paper and a pencil and start working on it daily. If you want to be a photographer, get out there and start taking pictures. The same applies to most skill sets – just get out there and start doing it consistently, and continually seeking improvement.
There are many more insights, but I’ll stop there and let you check it out yourself.
Turmoil in our future is inevitable. It may take the form of a recession, natural disaster, disruptive innovation, or other unforeseen events.
I recommend you give Antifragile a read and start thinking about how you can position yourself not just to survive, but to gain from the disorder.