Against the Gods - by Peter L Bernstein (Paperback)

About the Book

Scientific and mathematical pioneers employed bold thinking to embark on a remarkable adventure of intellectual discovery. Bernstein, an economic consultant, describes in "Against the Gods" how the rational process of risk taking propelled the process of science and enterprise into the modern world of speed, power, instant communication, and sophisticated finance.

Book Synopsis

Der Bestseller zur Risikobewertung jetzt als Broschurausgabe. Das ganze Leben ist ein einziges Risiko. Menschen in allen Bereichen des Lebens - Politiker, Wissenschaftler, Geschäftsleute, sogar Familien - müssen regelmäßig Entscheidungen treffen, die in irgendeiner Form Risiken bergen. Die Fähigkeit, das Ausmaß des Risikos solcher Entscheidungen zu bewerten und einzugrenzen gehört zu den Grundprinzipien der modernen Gesellschaft. 'Against the Gods' erzählt die Abenteuer einer Gruppe kühner Denker, die sich auf eine intellektuelle Entdeckungsreise begeben haben und den urzeitlichen Aberglauben verwandelt haben in leistungsstarke Methoden zur Risikokontrolle, wie sie heute Anwendung finden. Interessant und spannend geschrieben und ohne den sonst themabedingten technischen und mathematischen Ballast. (10/98)

From the Back Cover

A Business Week, New York Times Business, and USA Today Bestseller

"Ambitious and readable . . . an engaging introduction to the oddsmakers, whom Bernstein regards as true humanists helping to release mankind from the choke holds of superstition and fatalism." -The New York Times

"An extraordinarily entertaining and informative book." -The Wall Street Journal

"A lively panoramic book . . . Against the Gods sets up an ambitious premise and then delivers on it." -Business Week

"Deserves to be, and surely will be, widely read." -The Economist

"[A] challenging book, one that may change forever the way people think about the world." -Worth

"No one else could have written a book of such central importance with so much charm and excitement." -Robert Heilbroner author, The Worldly Philosophers

"With his wonderful knowledge of the history and current manifestations of risk, Peter Bernstein brings us Against the Gods. Nothing like it will come out of the financial world this year or ever. I speak carefully: no one should miss it." -John Kenneth Galbraith Professor of Economics Emeritus, Harvard University

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.

"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

Review Quotes

AGAINST THE GODS appeared in the "Washington Is Also Reading..." section of The Washington Post Book World. The book is described as, "A comprehensive history of man's efforts to understand risk and probability, from ancient gamblers in Greece to modern chaos theory."-The Washington Post Book World, September 20, 1998

About the Author

PETER L. BERNSTEIN is President of Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., economic consultants to institutional investors. Mr. Bernstein is the author of six books in economics and finance, including the bestselling Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street, as well as many articles in the professional and popular press. He is the Editor of The Portable MBA in Investment (Wiley) and was the Founding Editor of The Journal of Portfolio Management.