The motivation for this book is the hope of laying the foundations of a more rational, scientific approach to investing. We as investors are subject to significant obstacles, many of which come from within. Far from the rational agent model of traditional economics, we tend to be quite irrational in our investment decisions. Further, the market itself is not as clear cut and simple as many would have us believe; it has a life of its own, one that is complex and dynamic. Without a proper understanding of the underlying, any derivative strategies are doomed to failure. Profitable investing, then, involves strategies built on the assumptions of the market as it really is, not the one presented in economic textbooks.