Well, fine. So far, this has a touch of Dr Faustus to it. The idea of harvesting uncertainty — the idea of gaining from our lack of knowledge — sounds like the Devil’s work, or at the very least alchemy. But that’s because we’re so in love with linearity and certainty. And, says Taleb, our love of, and need for, this certainty is what’s always getting us into trouble. We plan too much. We’re too in love with controlling our environment. But just look at what happens when you try to control things. They go horribly wrong. Look at what happens when we try to get rid of germs. We get weaker, and they get stronger. It’s the same when we try to control traffic with endless signs and instructions. When we take them away, there are fewer crashes. And when we try to manipulate risk out of the economy, we end up making it riskier.

via Safety in danger » The Spectator.