There are three categories of things: Fragile things that break, like the financial system; robust things that don’t break easily but don’t improve, like the Brooklyn Bridge; and my new category, antifragile things that gain strength from stressors and get stronger from failure, like evolution. The fundamental problem in foreign policy is that people shoot for stability rather than antifragility. -Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A series of twitters from Dan lead me to the article and quote above. Only wondering about whether applying antifragile ideas to human built systems is a good idea given that Evolution the example stated above is the epitome of death, violence and extinction. Am eagerly awaiting his new book Antifragile to hear how things might fail well.
Also eagerly await the new Taleb book – however if antifragile is about gaining strength from stressors, it corresponds to classic crisis theory which allows for (good) change and opportunity to come of out the crisis. Don’t think evolution is a good example – but say being made redundant and being able to move onto something new and in the end better (not that that is everyone’s experience unfortunately) but at least the opportunity can be provided this way.
The Guardian reviewed the book here. If anything the not at all good review of the book makes it more intriguing. Plenty of ideas to agree and disagree with.