The Bed of Procrustes

Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

By: Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 1 hr and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

By the author of the modern classic The Black Swan, this collection of aphorisms and meditations expresses his major ideas in ways you least expect.

The Bed of Procrustes takes its title from Greek mythology: the story of a man who made his visitors fit his bed to perfection by either stretching them or cutting their limbs. It represents Nassim Nicholas 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 against the modern diseases of nerdiness, philistinism, and phoniness.

©2010 Nassim Nicholas Taleb (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

“[Taleb writes] in a style that owes as much to Stephen Colbert as it does to Michel de Montaigne.” ( The Wall Street Journal)

The most prophetic voice of all.” ( GQ)

"Idiosyncratically brilliant.” ( Los Angeles Times)

Buy the BOOK

While this a good listen and full of little wisdoms, you'll want the hard bound book near your desk as a reference piece. I can see using many of these aphorisms as quotes in presentations. Lots of great stuff hear but better in book form.

Genius in theory, idiot in practise

First of all, this is a great book. I love books that make you pause, sit down, and think. This books does that. It is well worth a listen.

Sadly, his own biases are shown regularly when he refers to real life examples, some of which show a fundamental lack of understanding of concepts he does not understand (for example business and economics).

Overall, highly recommended.

Taleb's Aphorisms

This is an excellent book although perhaps not suited to listening, it is short and hinges on one sentence aphorisms which would probably be better read one at a time and pondered. To hear them consecutively as in a list is intriguing, and simply gives on a desire to experience the printed book.

Don't, under any circumstances, read this book!

Not since reading Rochefoucauld's Maxims (as part of my Beloit College Classics curriculum), have I encountered such an extraordinary book. Further, don't be fooled by its quick read, there are lessons within that will make you scratch your head & perhaps even ponder your own existence...

a required headline based upon updates from audib

why is it required that you write a review to post a rating. I don't feel like posting a review

On Repeat

If you could sum up The Bed of Procrustes in three words, what would they be?

Insightful. Entertaining. Thought provoking.

Any additional comments?

I replay the entire book fairly often, such as while performing other tasks. Each time I enjoy it just as much as the previous listen, if not more so. There is rarely a book that I can do this with.

better as a book instead of audio

as a collections of aphorisms, this book is better to digest one sentence at a time over the course of a year.

get the book

I don't think this style of writing translates well to audio, you need to read it at your own pace.

3.5 stars

3.5 stars. Some of these are pretentious and self-serving. Some, I disagree with. Some are recycled. And some are quite good.

He is a clever pompous ass

He has hot takes on everything and no one surely agrees with him on everything, but he does have clever insights. There is no story here. This is old fashioned Schopenhauer or Nietzsche or Rochefoucauld or any of the aphoristic writers. It’s probably a better book, which I read years ago, but is still a decent audiobook.