Antifragility

The Idea

Contributed by @philhagspiel |  Edited and curated by @philhagspiel

Things can become better as a result of risk and failure.

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While things or systems typically take damage from shocks and distortions, antifragility describes the ability to grow from such impacts.

While robustness and resilience are concepts that describe how things can withstand randomness, uncertainty or failure, 'antifragility' means that things, systems or even people can literally benefit in such contexts.

Antifragility was popularized by statistician and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb and is being applied in computer science, physics, engineering, urban planning and many other fields.

On a personal level, antifragility refers to the ability to learn from smaller errors, correct course and respond to shocks with an increase in ability and capacity.

“How can you think yourself a great man, when the first accident that comes along can wipe you out completely.”

— Euripides

Explore

➞ In this one-hour talk, Nassim Taleb explains the concept in a more technical way (especially the Q&A at the end is insightful).

This Wikipedia article gives a great overview of the concept in general.

Resources

If this idea resonates with you, some of these resources might add value to your life.

MindVault Resources Master

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Predictably Irrational
Book

Dan Ariely

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Thinking Fast And Slow
Book

Daniel Kahnemann

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Factfulness
Book

Hans Rosling

Read

The Sovereign Individual
Book

James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg

Read

VSI: Thinking & Reasoning
Book

Jonathan Evans

Read

Antifragility
Book

Nassim Taleb

Read

Skin In The Game
Book

Nassim Taleb

Read

Fooled By Randomness
Book

Nassim Taleb

Read

Principles
Book

Ray Dalio

Read

59 Seconds - Think A Little Change A Lot
Book

Richard Wiseman

Read

The Great Mental Models (vol. 2)
Book

Shane Parrish

Read

The Great Mental Models (vol. 1)
Book

Shane Parrish

Read

Enlightenment Now
Book

Steven Pinker

Read

21 Lessons For The 21st Century
Book

Yuval Noah Harari

Listen

Modern Wisdom
Podcast

Chris Williamson

Liste

Podcast

David McRaney

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Podcast

Eric Weinstein

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Lex Fridman Podcast
Podcast

Lex Fridman

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The “What Is Money?” Show
Podcast

Robert Breedlove

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The Knowledge Project
Podcast

Shane Parrish

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Podcast

Stephen West

Listen

Conversations With Tyler
Podcast

Tyler Cowen

Listen

Hidden Brain
Podcast

Watch

YouTube Channel

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YouTube Channel

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Crash Course: Statistics
YouTube Channel

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YouTube Channel

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Quanta Magazine
YouTube Channel

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Primer
YouTube Channel

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YouTube Channel

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YouTube Channel

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YouTube Channel

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Paul Graham
Blog

Paul Graham

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Farnam Street
Blog

Shane Parrish

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Lesswrong
Blog

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Untools.co
Blog

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Edge.org
Blog

Check Out

Brilliant.org