The World's Best Book Summaries
In an unpredictable world, why plan? Is there a way to prepare for unexpected events, even if we can’t exactly plan for them? Why is planning important? We’ll look at the concept of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “black swan” and explore why planning is important, even if the world is unpredictable.
What is stage 17 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the significance of the “freedom to live”? Freedom to live is the stage of the hero’s journey in which the hero has found a balance between his internal and external worlds and he no longer fears death. Freedom to live is stage 17, the last stage, of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what the freedom to live entails and look at examples of the freedom-to-live stage of the hero’s journey.
No one can predict the future. But why? Why are some situations and events more predictable than others? We’ll cover the nature of predictability according to Nassim Nicholas Taleb and look at why it is that no one can predict the future.
What is the black swan fallacy? How is it most famous today? The black swan fallacy is the tendency of people to ignore evidence that contradicts their beliefs and assumptions. This fallacy can also refer to the tendency to believe that things they’ve never witnessed don’t exist. We’ll cover the roots of the black swan fallacy and look at modern-day, black-swan-fallacy examples.
What is stage 4 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is “crossing the threshold”? Crossing the threshold is the stage at which the hero comes to a point where he is further away from the world of comfort and familiarity than he has ever been before. Crossing the threshold is stage 4 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what crossing the threshold entails and look at an example of this stage of the hero’s journey.
What is deterministic chaos? How is it different than “true randomness”? Can we make predictions in situations of deterministic chaos? Deterministic chaos is a system whose operation could be predicted, but whose complexity makes prediction so difficult that it’s effectively impossible. That is, if we had the right information, we would be able to make sense of “chaos.” We’ll cover situations of deterministic chaos and if it affects our decision-making.
What is stage 6 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the “road of trials”? The road of trials is the stage of a hero’s journey during which the hero undergoes a series of trials and tests. The road of trails is stage 6 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Will cover what the road of trials may look like and explore two examples of a hero on the road of trials.
What is stage 2 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is the “refusal of the call”? The refusal of the call is the initial reluctance of a hero to follow the steps of their destiny and heed the call of adventure. The refusal of the call is stage 2 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. We’ll cover what the refusal of the call entails and look at an example of a hero refusing the call.
What is cumulative advantage? How does it work? Why is it dangerous to society? Who does it help? Cumulative advantage is the idea that small gains compound over time. In the work of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, cumulative advantage refers to the innate human tendency to flock to past successes, regardless of whether those successes are the product of merit or chance. We’ll cover cumulative advantage, where it’s most prominent, and why the rich get richer.
What is a black swan? What is black swan theory? What does the term “black swan” mean? A black swan is an extremely unpredictable event that has a massive impact on human society. The Black Swan is named after a classic error of induction, the black swan fallacy. We’ll cover the meaning of “black swan,” what black swan theory is, and what “black swan” means in economics.