Nassim Taleb says something is Lindy if its chances of longevity increase the longer it’s been around. Lindy-ness is a probabilistic concept, not an ontological (substantive) one—it describes a statistical reality based on our limited information, not the actual thing itself, whose longevity does not depend on our probability models. Taleb’s example is Broadway plays—the longer you’ve been on Broadway, the higher your chances of staying on Broadway. It’s also not a moral concept—things can be toxic or unfair or dumb and be Lindy; good things can be delicate.
Is History Lindy?
Is History Lindy?
Is History Lindy?
Nassim Taleb says something is Lindy if its chances of longevity increase the longer it’s been around. Lindy-ness is a probabilistic concept, not an ontological (substantive) one—it describes a statistical reality based on our limited information, not the actual thing itself, whose longevity does not depend on our probability models. Taleb’s example is Broadway plays—the longer you’ve been on Broadway, the higher your chances of staying on Broadway. It’s also not a moral concept—things can be toxic or unfair or dumb and be Lindy; good things can be delicate.