Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the best-selling author acclaimed for his book “The Black Swan,” delivered a powerful critique of modern America’s economic malaise during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Ron Paul Institute . In his address,he offered seven different thoughts on the modern state of macroeconomics and the world, arguing advanced economies like the U.S. are suffering from a curse of success.

Taleb argued well-intentioned “lifestyle improvements” like new bike lanes, while popular among city planners and politicians, reveal a deeper problem silently afflicting Western economies: the illusion of growth in societies that have reached their limits of prosperity. “Many are discovering,” he said, “that lifestyle improvements, such as bicycling paths and pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly cit

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