By the time you finish Nate Silver’s new book, you’ll probably want to do something risky.
Not for the adrenaline or to be reckless, but because you may be convinced that taking the occasional gamble – more than most people are comfortable with – is worth it.
In “On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything,” Silver convincingly theorizes that people are generally too risk-averse, and that those who can cleverly combat that impulse often reap great rewards in life.
In addition to his day job – which made him a recognizable name – as a forecaster, statistician and writer, Silver is an accomplished poker player. Fittingly, he begins his analysis of those with a high tolerance for risk with a detailed look at the game and those who play it.
It turns out, Silver argues, that poker players, astronauts and hedge fund managers have more in common than people might think, even on a physiological level. “The biggest risk is not taking any risks,” said Mark Zuckerberg, a widespread sentiment in Silicon Valley that Silver explores at length in this book.
Given his knowledge and affinity with poker, Silver tends to criticize the lens through which he views – perhaps unfairly. Those who are not interested in statistics or strategies may have difficulty getting through this book. But if you don’t mind the game or are intrigued, Silver eventually expands his cohort, especially in what is perhaps his most interesting chapter, where he discusses the “habits of highly successful risk takers.”
While Silver does spend a lot of time talking about poker, “On the Edge” is a thought-provoking interdisciplinary book that covers a variety of hot topics from artificial intelligence, political theory and what happens when risk-takers go too far.
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