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Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Peter L. Bernstein

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk - image
Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
Rank: 1095
From Publishers Weekly
Risk management, which assumes that future risks can be understood, measured and to some extent predicted, is the focus of this solid, thoroughgoing history.

Probability theory, pioneered by 17th-century French mathematicians Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat, has made possible the design of great bridges, electric power utilities and insurance policies.

The statistical sampling methods invented by dour Swiss scientist Jacob Bernoulli undergird diverse activities such as the testing of new drugs, stock-picking and wine tasting.

Bernstein (Capital Ideas) animates his narrative with a colorful cast of risk-analyzers, including gambling addict Girolamo Cardano, 16th-century Italian physician to the Pope; and John Maynard Keynes, whose concerns over economic uncertainty compelled him to recommend an active, interventionist role for government.

Bernstein also traces the development of business forecasting, game theory, insurance and derivatives, and surveys recent advances in risk forecasting made possible through chaos theory and by the development of neural networks.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Editorial: 2 of 12



Editorials


Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Peter L. Bernstein

Editorial 1 - 3 of 12
1.Amazon.com
With the stock market breaking records almost daily, leaving longtime market analysts shaking their heads and revising their forecasts, a study of the concept of risk seems quite timely. Peter Bernstein has written... read full editorial
Current Editorial
2.From Publishers Weekly
Risk management, which assumes that future risks can be understood, measured and to some extent predicted, is the focus of this solid, thoroughgoing history. Probability theory, pioneered by 17th-century French... read full editorial
3.From Library Journal
For several centuries, mathematics has been the language of the exact sciences. Only in the 20th century has mathematics become predominant in other fields, particularly economics and finance. In this book,... read full editorial




Customer Reviews

Sample 3 of 67

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Peter L. Bernstein
 The best books on the history of risk management
(USA) October 17, 2000 - 5.0/5 stars
This book is in every way the best book that I have read on the history of probability, or better to say history and evolution of risk management. Starting from the very early ages of probability, game logic and thinking... read full review
 Interesting first half - pity about the math
(CT, USA) November 15, 2000 - 3.0/5 stars
I found the first half of this book quite well written and packed with interesting anecdotes about almost-famous historical characters. The second half seemed to be mostly of interest to those in financial services rather... read full review
 A "History of Probability" book with a good packaging.
(Bangkok, Thailand) December 1, 1998 - 2.0/5 stars
As a person who works in accounting area, I am always amazed by the genius of the double-entry method of book keeping. Hence when I read a review that the book includes this as one of the attempts to contain risk, I decided... read full review




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