Black Swan symbol of what was impossible.     England 1890

Black Swan theory states that dramatic unexpected events matter more to history than regular happenings.  He advocates a "black swan robust" society than can benefit from difficult to predict events, and an approach to stock market investment that exploits risk, with "black swan" hedge funds thriving on sharp market downturns.

"Black Swan" important symbol in modern culture.  "Black Swan" by scholar Nassim Nicholas 2007.

The argument is often made that science funding should be directed away from pure research towards projects that benefit humans directly.  Taleb argues very differently - that because of unpredictability, humans will benefit most from undirected research.  Black Swans certainly benefit most from a free approach to science, since that is more likely to include research on conservation.                                                                        Australian Geological Society