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Thank you for this. I've been curious about Monte Carlo techniques ever since I was strongly influenced by Taleb's ideas. He uses Monte Carlo techniques via Mat

Thank you for this. I've been curious about Monte Carlo techniques ever since I was strongly influenced by Taleb's ideas. He uses Monte Carlo techniques via Mathematica* to produce curves for very complex probability functions. He prefers using Monte Carlo (practice) over using math theory. (He calls it "tinkering" not "Pinkering", a reference to Steve Pinker, whom Taleb criticizes because Taleb argues that Pinker relies excessively on theory, not enough on practice). My request to experienced Monte Carlo tinkerers on HN: please share "open source + free" tools and resources that you'd recommend to learn Monte Carlo. *Mathematica is very expensive software, without a free tier.

samcodes 7y ago
I wouldn’t call myself an “experienced MC tinkerer” but I liked this series on MC using Python https://towardsdatascience.com/monte-carlo-simulations-with-python-part-1-f5627b7d60b0 https://towardsdatascience.com/monte-carlo-simulations-with-...
gh02t 7y ago
Separating Monte Carlo methods from math theory is an odd distinction to make. There's a lot of sophisticated theory underlying Monte Carlo methods as well. MC also is more of a loose term referring to a class of techniques, rather than any specific algorithm. In that sense, there aren't really any [specific] tools or software you would use. A textbook on MC applications to your area of interest is probably the best place to start, there are a ton in practically every field. If theory-heavy presentations aren't your flavor then you can likely find a text or blog series to match.
jajoosam 7y ago
Interesting, where does Taleb discuss this?