Contents
Chapter 1: The Winds of the Greeks and the Role of the Dice
Chapter 2: As Easy as I, II, III
1200–1700: A Thousand Outstanding Facts
Chapter 3: The Renaissance Gambler
Chapter 4: The French Connection
Chapter 5: The Remarkable Notions of the Remarkable Notions Man
1700–1900: Measurement Unlimited
Chapter 6: Considering the Nature of Man
Chapter 7: The Search for Moral Certainty
Chapter 8: The Supreme Law of Unreason
Chapter 9: The Man with the Sprained Brain
Chapter 10: Peapods and Perils
Chapter 11: The Fabric of Felicity
1900–1960: Clouds of Vagueness and The Demand for Precision
Chapter 12: The Measure of Our Ignorance
Chapter 13: The Radically Distinct Notion
Chapter 14: The Man Who Counted Everything Except Calories
Chapter 15: The Strange Case of the Anonymous Stockbroker
Degrees of Belief: Exploring Uncertainty
Chapter 16: The Failure of Invariance
Chapter 18: The Fantastic System of Side Bets
Chapter 19: Awaiting the Wildness
In this unique exploration of the role of risk in our society, Peter Bernstein argues that the notion of bringing risk under control is one of the central ideas that distinguishes modern times from the distant past. Against the Gods chronicles the remarkable intellectual adventure that liberated humanity from oracles and soothsayers by means of the powerful tools of risk management that are available to us today.
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“An extremely readable history of risk.”
—Barron’s
“Fascinating . . . this challenging volume will help you understand the uncertainties that every investor must face.”
—Money
“A singular achievement.”
—Times Literary Supplement
“There’s a growing market for savants who can render the recondite intelligibly—witness Stephen Jay Gould (natural history), Oliver Sacks (disease), Richard Dawkins (heredity), James Gleick (physics), Paul Krugman (economics)—and Bernstein would mingle well in their company.”
—The Australian