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Book Editorial:2
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Peter L. Bernstein
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.
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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