Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a scholar, mathematical statistician, and former options trader and risk analyst, whose work focuses on problems of randomness, probability, and uncertainty. His book 'The Black Swan' has been described by The Sunday Times as one of the twelve most influential books since World War II. Taleb has been a professor at several universities, currently serving as Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. He has also been involved in the finance industry, running a hedge fund and working as a derivatives trader.
Taleb's ideas on 'Black Swan Events'—large, unpredictable, and highly impactful events—have led to widespread discussions in both financial and general interest media. His work emphasizes the limitations of statistical tools and problems with prediction in the face of real-world randomness. He advocates for what he calls a 'Black Swan robust' society, one that can withstand difficult-to-predict events. He has also been critical of the banking system, particularly its management of risk before the 2008 financial crisis.
Apart from 'The Black Swan', Taleb has written several other books as part of his multi-volume philosophical essay on uncertainty, titled 'Incerto', which includes 'Fooled by Randomness', 'Antifragile', and 'The Bed of Procrustes'. His books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Taleb's work continues to influence various fields, including economics, finance, philosophy, and public policy.