The Bed of Procrustes would be a fascinating read for anyone interested in exploring unconventional philosophical ideas and challenging societal norms. Written by the author of The Black Swan, this book shares Taleb's major concepts on risk, uncertainty, and decision-making through a collection of thought-provoking aphorisms and meditations. The book is playful, irreverent, and witty, exposing self-delusions and modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phoniness. It contrasts classical values with contemporary societal norms and beliefs, making the book an essential read for anyone interested in seeking unconventional wisdom on life, risk, and decision-making.

Riley is your virtual thrift companion, and here to help you find your next favourite read. You can also find in-stock similar reads linked by topic and genre here!

The author of the modern classics The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, and Antifragile, Nassim Nicholas Taleb expresses major ideas in ways you least expect in this collection of aphorisms and meditations—now expanded with fifty percent more material than the hardcover.The Bed of Procrustes takes its title from the Greek myth of a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection, either by stretching them or by cutting their limbs. It represents Taleb’s view of modern civilization’s hubristic side effects—modifying humans to satisfy technology, blaming reality for not fitting economic models, inventing diseases to sell drugs, defining intelligence as what can be tested in a classroom, and convincing people that employment is not slavery. Playful and irreverent, these aphorisms will surprise you by exposing self-delusions you have been living with but never recognized. With a rare combination of pointed wit and potent wisdom, Taleb plows through human illusions, contrasting the classical values of courage, elegance, and erudition with the modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phonies.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.