An Antifragile Approach to Ethics
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in “Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder,” offers the reader a literary and philosophical discourse arguing for how best to utilize uncertainty and even chaos to move beyond resilience or robustness to becoming antifragile.[1] In this way, Taleb, who is American-Lebanese, takes the leader-reader beyond Todd Bolsinger’s forge metaphor of developing tempered resilience.[2] Taleb also integrates the concept of tacit knowing[3] as he writes about antifragility: “Antifragility has a singular property of allowing us to deal with the unknown, to do things without understanding them—and do them well.”[4]
Arising out of a different background than Edwin Friedman (Taleb worked in finances and risk assessment),[5] Taleb also talks about systems and processes. He uses the language of fragile to antifragile to get at the journey of moving from anxious to differentiated. “…fragility…could be expressed as what does not like volatility, and that what does not like volatility does not like randomness, uncertainty, disorder, errors, stressors, etc.…. antifragility…likes volatility et al. It also likes time.”[6] Taleb’s view on antifragility often comes across to me as quite Darwinian or at least quite cold: “…the antifragility of some comes necessarily at the expense of the fragility of others. In a system, the sacrifices of some units—fragile units, that is, or people—are often necessary for the well-being of other units or the whole.”[7] How do I reconcile such an understanding with the way in which the Apostle Paul describes the working of Christ’s body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, in particular, verses 21-22 : “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”?
His book’s structure is unique, in some ways harkening back to an earlier era of writing. He opens with chapter summaries before delving into the prologue which provides an expanded summary of his entire argument. In what he calls seven books developed into twenty-five chapters he details his argument, demonstrating how his thesis of antifragility applies to a myriad of fields and circumstances. The glossary of terms at the end offers a different type of summary for his thinking. He also uses appendixes in an interesting manner. His first comes at the beginning of the book following the prologue. Here he examines in more detail his core principle—The Triad, made up of a tripartite spectrum ranging from fragile to robust to antifragile.[8] “The task here is to build a map of exposures…to see how the ideas of the book apply across domains.”[9] His remaining two appendixes come at the end of the book with the first providing “a graphical tour of the book,”[10] and the second exploring the technicalities of how and why economic models fail.[11] There is yet more. His section of additional notes, afterthoughts, and further reading offer a fascinating glimpse into his dopamine driven thinking[12] as he continues to add layers of texture to his book’s themes.[13] He concludes with a thorough bibliography, acknowledgements, and index. I was delighted to see in his acknowledgements a person I have been privileged to work with on the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese American University. One of those small world experiences.
To say Taleb’s book covers a lot of ground is an understatement. The two sections that most caught my attention were chapters 16-17 in book four (the implications of antifragility for learning) and chapters 23-24 in book seven (ethics and antifragility). Here I will address only the section on ethics. In it he seems to take up an aspect of the question I raised above when he writes: “The worst problem of modernity lies in the malignant transfer of fragility and antifragility from one party to the other, with one getting the benefits, the other one (unwittingly) getting the harm, with such transfer facilitated by the growing wedge between the ethical and the legal.”[14] He draws on some of Joseph Campbell’s hero language[15] when he continues: “It is, of course, an agency problem…an asymmetry…Consider older societies…The main difference between us and them is the disappearance of a sense of heroism…For heroism is the exact inverse of the agency problem: someone elects to bear the disadvantage (risks his own life, or harm to himself, or in milder forms, accepts to deprive himself of some benefits) for the sake of others. What we have currently is the opposite: power seems to go to those…who steal a free option from society.”[16] He ties this together with antifragility noting, “The robustness—even antifragility—of society depends on [heroes and people of courage]; if we are here today, it is because someone, at some stage, took some risks for us.”[17] His ultimate solution to this widening gap of some gaining increasing benefit at the increasing cost to many is to introduce practices that ascertain that everyone has “skin in the game.”[18] He goes on to give many examples. I found myself pondering yet again the potential benefits of stakeholder capitalism (versus present-day stockholder capitalism) in light of Taleb’s arguments. Stakeholder capitalism invites companies to serve the interests of all communities impacted by their presence: customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and the communities in which they are located.[19] It makes for a much more complex, interdependent conversation and dynamic, but Taleb would argue that this sort of complexity has greater antifragility in the long run.[20]
[1] Taleb, Nassim Nicholas. 2014. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. Random House Trade Paperback edition. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 3.
[2] Bolsinger, Tod E. 2020. Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 6.
[3] Polanyi, Michael (1966), and Amartya Sen. 2009. The Tacit Dimension. Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press.
[4] Taleb, 4.
[5] Friedman, Edwin H., Margaret M. Treadwell, and Edward W. Beal. 2017. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. 10th anniversary revised edition. New York: Church Publishing.
[6] Taleb, 11-12.
[7] Ibid., 65
[8] Ibid., 20-27.
[9] Ibid., 20-21.
[10] Ibid., 435ff.
[11] Ibid., 447ff.
[12] Lieberman, Daniel Z, and Michael E Long. 2019. The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity-and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, Inc.
[13] Taleb., 457ff.
[14] Ibid., 375.
[15] Campbell, Joseph. 2008. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 3rd ed. Bollingen Series XVII. Novato, Calif: New World Library.
[16] Taleb, 375-376.
[17] Ibid., 378.
[18] Ibid., 381.
[19] Schwab, Klaus. 2021. Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy That Works for Progress, People and Planet. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
[20] Taleb, 56-60.
About the Author
Elmarie Parker
13 responses to “An Antifragile Approach to Ethics”
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Elmarie: What a wonderful recap of this reading and you processing of it. I wonder, given your strong connection to the Lebanese people, could you identify components of his book that may have stemmed from his cultural heritage as you were reading it?
Hi Kayli…thank you for your feedback on my post and for your question. Taleb came of age during the Lebanese civil war…a highly volatile, disruptive time in his life and the lives of many. I can’t help but wonder at the shaping influence this has had on him and how his thinking developed on antifragility. Also, in his section on ethics, I could hear the influence of coming from a more communal culture as he talked about ‘skin in the game.’
Elmarie, as usual, I would have benefited by reading your post before I read the book! You write about stakeholder capitalism and that is a new concept for me. Can you say a little more about that, especially as reflected in this statement: “Stakeholder capitalism invites companies to serve the interests of all communities impacted by their presence: customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and the communities in which they are located.” Specifically, how does stakeholder capitalism serve the interests of all communities? Thanks…
Hi Roy…thank you for your feedback on my post; I appreciate your generous assessment :). And, thank you for your interest in learning more about Stakeholder Capitalism. I’m continuing to learn myself about it. Here’s my starting text: (Schwab, Klaus. 2021. Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy That Works for Progress, People and Planet. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.) One of the aims in seeking to serve the interests of all stakeholders is taking seriously measures of success that move beyond profit to a wider understanding of societal flourishing. It also seeks to shift decision-making solely from short-term gains to also consider long-term impacts. And, it encourages dialogue between business, government, and individuals/communities to develop shared values and goals that are mutually beneficial. All of this is long-term work that seeks to retain the best of a capitalistic economic system while correcting some of the harmful excesses of the same. Here is an interesting site in the USA working on this issue and an article they posted in Feb. 2020 giving some examples of US-based companies seeking to implement some of the practices associated with stakeholder capitalism. https://justcapital.com/news/how-ceos-are-putting-stakeholder-capitalism-into-practice/ I’d love to hear your thoughts on this if you explore it further.
Wow. Well done. I agree with Roy’s comment. I found the book very complex and challenging on many levels, yet, it sounds like you really took a lot out of it.
If you were to teach the principles of this book, what are 1-3 topic/lesson titles you would focus on?
Hey Eric…thank you for your thoughts on my post and for your very intriguing question. 1-3 topic/lesson titles I would focus on were I to teach from this book…I’ll offer one for the main area I’ve been pondering from his book:
1. Redefining Strength (Ethics): Zero-sum vs. Skin-in-the Game and what it means for society’s future.
* content would include a discussion on social darwinism vs. Paul’s concept of the body of Christ.
What about for you? Are you including any of his thoughts in your lesson plans?
Elmarie,
I agree with the cold nature of his approach. It seemed too much of a criticism of aspects of culture that are looking for the inclusion of others that have been marginalized by the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” “rugged individualism,” or hyper ideals of femininity and masculinity, mentalities.
I recently finished Rya Holiday’s “The Obstacle Is the Way,” which was a far more philosophical approach to building up a greater tolerance for challenges and the mental capacity to navigate them.
Thank you, Andy, for this book recommendation by Ryan Holiday! Interesting that he draws from Stoicism…one of the primary sources for Taleb as well. I’ll be interested to see how his tone and approach differs from Talebs.
Nice insights about the ethics and the idea of antifragility. I like the comment that Taleb has on the idea of heroism and how it has disappeared in modern society. Heroes are antifragile and they’re out there, it just takes some looking. Ministers can learn to adjust to the new world that seems to be emerging after Covid and become heroes of the faith.
Hi Troy…thank you for your engagement with my post. I appreciate you closing sentence: “Ministers can learn to adjust to the new world that seems to be emerging after Covid and become heroes of the faith.” What adjustment do you think is most critical for ministers to make in order to lead as heroes of the faith in a post-covid world?
Elmarie, as always, an excellent analysis of this week’s reading. I like how you highlight the connection between antifragility and heroism when you quote the words, “The robustness—even antifragility—of society depends on [heroes and people of courage]; if we are here today, it is because someone, at some stage, took some risks for us.” What a few traits some of the Lebanese you work with look for in a hero/heroine?
Elmarie, I appreciate you raising the alarm with this question on Taleb’s book…”How do I reconcile such an understanding with the way in which the Apostle Paul describes the working of Christ’s body in 1 Corinthians “. In some ways your concern echoes some of our cohort around the concern of Friedman’s challenge on the way empathy is used. How might Friedman’s pages 147-194 help you integrate antifragility without collateral damage?
Elmarie, I love how you wove in Bolsinger, Polanyi at the very beginning. Well done. I agree there is definitely a Darwinian flavor, your reflective questions bring us back to a place of growth. Your closing, focusing on the stakeholder investment was great. I had thought about that as well. I curious, being that Taleb is Lebanese, was there anything in his writing or logic that is reflective of your experience in the culture?