Of course, no one wants a repeat of the Great Depression. But poor predictions can influence poor policy, which can lead to disaster. (Bettmann/CORBIS)
January 6, 2014
The Black Swan author Nassim Taleb recently issued a challenge to economists to debate him on the subject of risk in economics:
"I would love to debate a prominent economist LIVE in front of an audience… Nobody has accepted so far," he wrote on his Facebook page a few days ago. He singled out the New York Times' Paul Krugman as someone he might challenge to a debate: "I am looking for an economist… I could challenge him publicly. Krugman?"
Taleb has long been an intellectual hero of mine. I have been an avid reader of his writing on finance, statistics, risk, and probability for the last decade, and I would recommend all of his books — Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, and Antifragile — in a heartbeat.
ADVERTISEMENT