
We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don't know. Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities.

For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan so was 9/11. 'In the tradition of The Wisdom of Crowds and The Tipping Point' - Time You may also be interested in."A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable it carries a massive impact and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. 'Confirms his status as a guru for every would-be Damien Hirst, George Soros and aspirant despot' - Sunday Times hugely enjoyable - compelling' - Financial Times 'A fascinating study of how we are regularly taken for suckers by the unexpected' - Guardian 'An idiosyncratically brilliant new book' - Sunday Telegraph brash, stubborn, entertaining, opinionated, curious, cajoling' - Freakonomics

Dubner, Co-Author of Freakonomics'Great fun. brash, stubborn, entertaining, opinionated, curious, cajoling' Stephen J. 'Idiosyncratically brilliant' - Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph confirms his status as a guru for every would-be Damien Hirst, George Soros and aspirant despot' - John Cornwell, Sunday Times 'He leaps like some superhero of the mind' Boyd Tonkin, Independent

I came to relish what he said, and even develop a sneaking affection for him as a person' - Will Self, Independent on Sunday 'Taleb is a bouncy and even exhilarating guide.
