A 19th-century German philosopher whose ideas about embracing unpredictability and the balance between order and disorder inform parts of the author's discussion on antifragility. His influence is seen through concepts like amor fati and the Dionysian.

An Austrian-British philosopher whose ideas on falsifiability and scientific methods are referenced to support the book's themes on epistemology and antifragile systems. Popper's trial and error concepts are also featured.

An Israeli American psychologist known for his work on cognitive biases, which is used to highlight the predictability issues and planning fallacies discussed in the book. His research on decision-making is key in illustrating the fragility in systems.

An Austrian economist whose idea of creative destruction underscores the book's argument for the necessity of risk-taking and adaptation in economic systems. Schumpeter's influence is evident in the portrayal of antifragility.

A French American mathematician known for fractals and long-tailed distributions, which are used to explain the importance of understanding irregular patterns in nature. His work supports the book's exploration of antifragility in complex systems.

A Classical Greek philosopher whose ideas are both referenced and critiqued to examine the limits of knowledge and the importance of challenging assumptions. Concepts like the philosopher-king are contrasted with antifragile system design.

A German psychologist whose work on heuristics aids in the discussion of decision-making in uncertain environments. His studies on ecological reasoning help illustrate the effectiveness of simple rules adapted to specific settings.

A fictional character created to represent practical skepticism of complex theories. His approach highlights the contrast with theoretical academia, emphasizing real-world observation and practical decision-making.