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The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future
A provocative critique of Western progress from a scientific perspective
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 21, 2021
good argument for the return to monkey community
May 20, 2020
Limits to growth, planetary carrying capacity, ecological science and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (the one about entropy) all collide with economic dogma about the need for constant growth ('Rocco wants more, don't you Rocco?'). The arguments seem sound, the science solid but when it comes to the solutions, we leave science behind and embark on idealistic and unrealistic options. This is the usual failure of the new environmental activism: Yes, we have problems, but...
December 6, 2022
This book has a coherent and concise argument for why our current economic model and its dovetailed consumer culture are unsustainable. Not just in the way we see sustainability in the current environmental movement but unsustainable as in our planet and the simple ecological and scientific laws will prevent this pattern and model from continuing; in other words radical economic cultural change is inevitable.
I learned some new things about laws of ecology, especially bifurcation.
I wish the author spent more time speaking about solutions and how he sees the cultural shifts and the economic remodeling taking place and the role of the individual vs. the collective. These topics were all touched upon but not in depth. Lots of claims were unsupported although I do agree with them based on my individual experience working to change this culture.
Overall a great book and I recommend it to anyone interested in economics, ecology, energy, complex systems or consumer culture.
I learned some new things about laws of ecology, especially bifurcation.
I wish the author spent more time speaking about solutions and how he sees the cultural shifts and the economic remodeling taking place and the role of the individual vs. the collective. These topics were all touched upon but not in depth. Lots of claims were unsupported although I do agree with them based on my individual experience working to change this culture.
Overall a great book and I recommend it to anyone interested in economics, ecology, energy, complex systems or consumer culture.
November 2, 2020
This is the first book I've read in a good time that drew me in. It details laws of the universe that our man-made world is completely ignoring. It exposed a whole new way of looking at our society/economy. And it gives some ideas of what we can do in the future to focus on quality of life instead of increasing artificial financial numbers.
Ever feel that the pillars of our current economic system don't seem right? For instance, the constant buying of new things, dependence on unlimited growth, externalization of costs like pollution, constant mergers and acquisitions that reduce consumer choice, and competitive exclusion. Our economy is measured by GDP, not quality or richness of life. This book takes a dive into each of these topics and covers the myths that we've collectively bought into. Unlimited growth is a hallmark of cancer. Even a small population growth rate of 1% leads, in a relatively short time, to there being more humans than particles in the universe.
There are hard limits to growth. Just because we're ignorant of these limits doesn't mean we're impervious to them. You might not know the speed limit, but you can still get a ticket for going too fast. Deny all you want the existence of death, but one day you will die.
The Myth of Progress by Tom Wessels is an absolutely incredible book. The ToC alone is an overview of what will be covered and is a nice summary to refer back to.
1. The Myth of Control: Complex versus Linear Systems
2. The Myth of Growth: Limits and Sustainability
2. The Myth of Energy: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
4. The Myth of the Free Market: The Loss of Diversity and Democracy
5. The Myth of Progress: A Need for Cultural Change
Epilogue: From Consumption to Connection
My education while growing up in America portrayed nearly everything as a series of linear systems. This approach espouses the idea that you can understand the whole by understanding each of the parts in isolation. This book, though, introduced me to complex systems science and the properties complex systems display: emergent properties, nestedness, bifurcation, and self-organization.
Our economy and society are complex systems that you cannot predict from initial conditions because of the intricate feedback systems that interact over time. Heck, even morning traffic is a complex system. You can't reliably predict how long it'll take to get to work because of all the components that interact. Stop-and-go traffic is an emergent property that you could not have predicted from just looking at the individual tires rolling over pavement. I love how this book gives concrete examples, like traffic, of each of the topics discussed. Really helps you understand things. One of the examples he refers to throughout the book is an old-growth forest near where he lives.
Our planet also has a carrying capacity, the max population size an ecosystem can support without degradation. There's a finite amount of resources. And the trees, plants, and animals can only reproduce and grow so quickly. As a species, we can overshoot the carrying capacity of the planet for a time, but the degradation kicks in. For each day that we exceed that carrying capacity, the degradation piles up, and the more we try to work around it, the faster the degradation accumulates. Look at climate change, for an example we're all familiar with. We're degrading our atmosphere. It's hot so we run air conditioners, but that feeds into a positive feedback loop that makes it even hotter, so you need to push those A/C units harder and harder. It's now causing droughts that dry out the forests, which makes forest fires terrifyingly regular. We're spilling chemicals into the land and waters, and then we have to deal with terrible diseases and death. These are all negative feedback loops that will reduce our population or economic sizes.
He posits that the future of our economy needs to look more like an old growth forest. The amount of energy taken in is equal to the energy emitted as heat. It's in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Trees are mature and established. Tree and fungus work together to extract resources from the soil better than either could do alone.
Next, there's the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The entropy or disorder of our universe increases over time. Dust piles up on one-clean-and-orderly shelves. If you toss a stack of papers into the air, they won't land in their original order. They will become more disordered. You can't get something for nothing. When you burn gasoline in your car, a non-trivial amount of energy won't propel you forward as intended. It's converted into vibrations, sounds, and heat. Any transformation of energy will result in some of that being lost as heat. At a small scale though, things can become more ordered. We can clean a room. But at the cost of releasing heat into the wider environment by burning the coal to run the vacuum, and our bodies burn calories to push it around. The industry we do in the world increases the entropy of our biosphere. We're transforming vast amounts of energy to do manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation. And it makes our world more disordered. When we clear a forest for farmland, we reduce species richness and kill of a complex, elaborate ecosystem that's built up over thousands of years. Then replace that incredible diversity with a single crop.
Our markets seem to favor and encourage monopolies. The dream of entrepreneurs seems to be a company that becomes the biggest, most powerful, and only force to be reckoned with. To get a cut of every transaction anyone makes anywhere. To capture all the value for itself. Yet our body isn't a single type of cell that's just crushed the other cellular competition. We have cells for skin, bone, brain, stomach, blood, hair, etc. They work together. Skin cannot survive without the blood. Your bone cells don't consume all the energy available in your body just because they can. But our markets are as if your bone cells went rogue and tried to do that very thing. That's called bone cancer. Business are too big to fail because there is not sufficient redundancy or company richness. One company failing would wipe out the economy?! It's like growing a single crop. One bad year for the crop means famine for all. The consolidation of corporate power also works against sovereignty of nations. See the ability of companies to buy politicians and laws that favor them. And look at our political system. It's been reduced to two parties. Where's the richness of perspective under which democracy flourishes?!
So the book does a lot of pointing out problems with us relying on an economy that ignores the physical laws of the universe. But it does give us some hope. There are alternatives that we can explore and that we're going to need if we expect humanity to be a going concern on this planet. It's impossible to flaunt the limits of growth and the law of entropy forever.
"Where natural systems grow more diverse, integrated, and efficient, with each specialized part working to support the other parts in a stable system, our global economic system is moving in the opposite direction. It is moving toward simplification and homogeneity through competitive exclusion, wasteful use of resources, and lack of integration, with each corporate entity looking out for its own interests—profits—rather than the well-being of the whole system. Which model would you bet on for long-term stability?" The one around for 3.5 billion years, or the one on the scene for just over a century?
The final chapter goes over the cultural changes that would better serve each human alive on the planet and also prepare our species for long term success on this planet. We need a world based on fulfillment instead of consumption. We need connection to community instead of isolation. We need "connection to community, place, and reflective practice." It's a wonderful capstone to this book.
If you've read this far, you _must_ read this book! It'll put into words thoughts you've had but couldn't articulate. It'll introduce you to ideas that will be necessary to understand. It was published in 2006, but the sentiments have only become more and more relevant as our economy has become more and more entropic, our politics have become more and more consolidated, and our measures of progress continue to be based on increasing valuations at the expense of our quality of life.
Ever feel that the pillars of our current economic system don't seem right? For instance, the constant buying of new things, dependence on unlimited growth, externalization of costs like pollution, constant mergers and acquisitions that reduce consumer choice, and competitive exclusion. Our economy is measured by GDP, not quality or richness of life. This book takes a dive into each of these topics and covers the myths that we've collectively bought into. Unlimited growth is a hallmark of cancer. Even a small population growth rate of 1% leads, in a relatively short time, to there being more humans than particles in the universe.
There are hard limits to growth. Just because we're ignorant of these limits doesn't mean we're impervious to them. You might not know the speed limit, but you can still get a ticket for going too fast. Deny all you want the existence of death, but one day you will die.
The Myth of Progress by Tom Wessels is an absolutely incredible book. The ToC alone is an overview of what will be covered and is a nice summary to refer back to.
1. The Myth of Control: Complex versus Linear Systems
2. The Myth of Growth: Limits and Sustainability
2. The Myth of Energy: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
4. The Myth of the Free Market: The Loss of Diversity and Democracy
5. The Myth of Progress: A Need for Cultural Change
Epilogue: From Consumption to Connection
My education while growing up in America portrayed nearly everything as a series of linear systems. This approach espouses the idea that you can understand the whole by understanding each of the parts in isolation. This book, though, introduced me to complex systems science and the properties complex systems display: emergent properties, nestedness, bifurcation, and self-organization.
Our economy and society are complex systems that you cannot predict from initial conditions because of the intricate feedback systems that interact over time. Heck, even morning traffic is a complex system. You can't reliably predict how long it'll take to get to work because of all the components that interact. Stop-and-go traffic is an emergent property that you could not have predicted from just looking at the individual tires rolling over pavement. I love how this book gives concrete examples, like traffic, of each of the topics discussed. Really helps you understand things. One of the examples he refers to throughout the book is an old-growth forest near where he lives.
Our planet also has a carrying capacity, the max population size an ecosystem can support without degradation. There's a finite amount of resources. And the trees, plants, and animals can only reproduce and grow so quickly. As a species, we can overshoot the carrying capacity of the planet for a time, but the degradation kicks in. For each day that we exceed that carrying capacity, the degradation piles up, and the more we try to work around it, the faster the degradation accumulates. Look at climate change, for an example we're all familiar with. We're degrading our atmosphere. It's hot so we run air conditioners, but that feeds into a positive feedback loop that makes it even hotter, so you need to push those A/C units harder and harder. It's now causing droughts that dry out the forests, which makes forest fires terrifyingly regular. We're spilling chemicals into the land and waters, and then we have to deal with terrible diseases and death. These are all negative feedback loops that will reduce our population or economic sizes.
He posits that the future of our economy needs to look more like an old growth forest. The amount of energy taken in is equal to the energy emitted as heat. It's in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Trees are mature and established. Tree and fungus work together to extract resources from the soil better than either could do alone.
Next, there's the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The entropy or disorder of our universe increases over time. Dust piles up on one-clean-and-orderly shelves. If you toss a stack of papers into the air, they won't land in their original order. They will become more disordered. You can't get something for nothing. When you burn gasoline in your car, a non-trivial amount of energy won't propel you forward as intended. It's converted into vibrations, sounds, and heat. Any transformation of energy will result in some of that being lost as heat. At a small scale though, things can become more ordered. We can clean a room. But at the cost of releasing heat into the wider environment by burning the coal to run the vacuum, and our bodies burn calories to push it around. The industry we do in the world increases the entropy of our biosphere. We're transforming vast amounts of energy to do manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation. And it makes our world more disordered. When we clear a forest for farmland, we reduce species richness and kill of a complex, elaborate ecosystem that's built up over thousands of years. Then replace that incredible diversity with a single crop.
Our markets seem to favor and encourage monopolies. The dream of entrepreneurs seems to be a company that becomes the biggest, most powerful, and only force to be reckoned with. To get a cut of every transaction anyone makes anywhere. To capture all the value for itself. Yet our body isn't a single type of cell that's just crushed the other cellular competition. We have cells for skin, bone, brain, stomach, blood, hair, etc. They work together. Skin cannot survive without the blood. Your bone cells don't consume all the energy available in your body just because they can. But our markets are as if your bone cells went rogue and tried to do that very thing. That's called bone cancer. Business are too big to fail because there is not sufficient redundancy or company richness. One company failing would wipe out the economy?! It's like growing a single crop. One bad year for the crop means famine for all. The consolidation of corporate power also works against sovereignty of nations. See the ability of companies to buy politicians and laws that favor them. And look at our political system. It's been reduced to two parties. Where's the richness of perspective under which democracy flourishes?!
So the book does a lot of pointing out problems with us relying on an economy that ignores the physical laws of the universe. But it does give us some hope. There are alternatives that we can explore and that we're going to need if we expect humanity to be a going concern on this planet. It's impossible to flaunt the limits of growth and the law of entropy forever.
"Where natural systems grow more diverse, integrated, and efficient, with each specialized part working to support the other parts in a stable system, our global economic system is moving in the opposite direction. It is moving toward simplification and homogeneity through competitive exclusion, wasteful use of resources, and lack of integration, with each corporate entity looking out for its own interests—profits—rather than the well-being of the whole system. Which model would you bet on for long-term stability?" The one around for 3.5 billion years, or the one on the scene for just over a century?
The final chapter goes over the cultural changes that would better serve each human alive on the planet and also prepare our species for long term success on this planet. We need a world based on fulfillment instead of consumption. We need connection to community instead of isolation. We need "connection to community, place, and reflective practice." It's a wonderful capstone to this book.
If you've read this far, you _must_ read this book! It'll put into words thoughts you've had but couldn't articulate. It'll introduce you to ideas that will be necessary to understand. It was published in 2006, but the sentiments have only become more and more relevant as our economy has become more and more entropic, our politics have become more and more consolidated, and our measures of progress continue to be based on increasing valuations at the expense of our quality of life.
September 4, 2018
I mainly picked this up because it was short and I though it would be somewhat interesting. But I wasn't expecting it to be that interesting. However, the author surprised me with a very coherent explanation for why a lot of ideas in mainstream economics are ridiculously naive. He quotes many of the same sources that Kate Raworth uses in Doughnut Economics (which I would also highly recommend reading if you enjoyed this book). I also recently read Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker which is basically on the other side of this debate. Both present some very interesting ideas, and I believe both are important to keep in mind.
All in all, this was a good quick read. Would definitely recommend, though prioritize Doughnut Economics.
All in all, this was a good quick read. Would definitely recommend, though prioritize Doughnut Economics.
January 4, 2024
A lot of statistics, discursive anecdotes, and shallow political statements. The author fails to significantly call out corporations for their pollution, and instead blames consumers. For a book with a provocative title, it was very safe.
May 29, 2023
I haven’t thought about how Galileo, Descartes, and Newton influenced science in a negative way by making thinking linear. This is a book well worth reading and highly recommendable for middle school students to learn about sustainability and how it fits into their immediate environment. It also gives perspectives on how materialism has brought us further down the spiral. The book ended with how our ancient ancestors and their culture is what we should aim to return to: the sense of community, richness in life (not material), connection to others and nature. An interesting book that makes me think about human hubris and greed, without using these words. I enjoyed it and the fact it came out in 2006 makes it truly visionary.
Notes:
Reductionism: to understand something by taking it apart and analyzing the parts. This would over simplify things categorically instead of including the thinking that within a system, parts interact with one another.
“Limits to growth”: All things natural falls under “limits to growth”. Current demands for economic growth is flawed because it is counting on infinite resources and no waste production. This creates a flawed model in thinking about progress.
Progress is not the same as growth.
Energy conservation takes on a different depth of meaning after reading chapter 3.
Makes a good argument that we could learn from ecosystem to improve our political system. What we do is not natural and is based on an assumption that resources are unlimited and whatever problems we have now can be solved by technology.
Notes:
Reductionism: to understand something by taking it apart and analyzing the parts. This would over simplify things categorically instead of including the thinking that within a system, parts interact with one another.
“Limits to growth”: All things natural falls under “limits to growth”. Current demands for economic growth is flawed because it is counting on infinite resources and no waste production. This creates a flawed model in thinking about progress.
Progress is not the same as growth.
Energy conservation takes on a different depth of meaning after reading chapter 3.
Makes a good argument that we could learn from ecosystem to improve our political system. What we do is not natural and is based on an assumption that resources are unlimited and whatever problems we have now can be solved by technology.
October 31, 2025
I was hoping for a book that harked on The Myth of Progress. Instead, it’s a brief appetiser and explanation of various core principles relevant to our situation.
I have no choice but to dock it one star for bungling examples of fundamentals such as positive feedback loops, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics.
A positive feedback loop is more of this causes more of this”. So yes, melting arctic ice is an example (the lessening of the albedo effect hastens further melting), but no, the straw that broke the camel’s back is not (“the positive feedback in the loading of the camel” p57): each loaded straw does not cause additional straws to be loaded, Tim.
And entropy is not what causes your home to become a disorganised mess, Tim. It’s your fault. It will stop when you die. And “if the second law [of thermodynamics] didn’t exist, we would not have to clean up after ourselves.” (p46). Uhm, wut?
These confusions are problematic because one wonders what else is being bungled.
Oh wait, I have another: he thinks humanity still has a chance. But then, so did I in 2006.
I have no choice but to dock it one star for bungling examples of fundamentals such as positive feedback loops, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics.
A positive feedback loop is more of this causes more of this”. So yes, melting arctic ice is an example (the lessening of the albedo effect hastens further melting), but no, the straw that broke the camel’s back is not (“the positive feedback in the loading of the camel” p57): each loaded straw does not cause additional straws to be loaded, Tim.
And entropy is not what causes your home to become a disorganised mess, Tim. It’s your fault. It will stop when you die. And “if the second law [of thermodynamics] didn’t exist, we would not have to clean up after ourselves.” (p46). Uhm, wut?
These confusions are problematic because one wonders what else is being bungled.
Oh wait, I have another: he thinks humanity still has a chance. But then, so did I in 2006.
January 7, 2021
Tom Wessels shares his usual (expected) thoroughly accessible, solidly-expressed explanations regarding his timely and singular subject matter, that is, the fallacy of conventional growth economics. Although I am already a person of similar convictions, he ably sketches out a supporting framework that dismantles the prevalent paradigm, while offering more sustainable alternatives; this is helpful, in my mind, to cut through some of the contemporary clutter and noise to principles and practices that can be grasped by most audiences. Tom Wessels
March 27, 2020
Almost feels like an intro to basic ecological concepts. Reading this book during the COVID-19 lock down makes the Great Recession of the mid 2000s, a topic Wessels remarks on regularly, feel quaint. It's for this same reason, COVID-19, that his predictions at the end of the book, about how economies and societies will be forced to fundamentally change as fossil fuels become scarcer, do still have some bite. Wessels' description of his life in a cabin in rural Vermont made me envious. A short little read.
May 14, 2022
Less about proposing any practical solutions for sustainability, this book discusses why a growth-centric economy can not work long-term. We do need to find better ways to reconnect with our environment and learn that we are part of the ecosystem and exploiting its resources is essentially taking away from ourselves. If you're looking for actionable steps, you probably won't find it here, but the message bears repeating and it's short.
November 19, 2021
That progress has been made is taken by all of us as a indisputable given in any conversation. Even though the reading of ecology, anthropology, history ethnology casts some doubt on it and rightfully so, instead of taking a binary stance on it we are much better served by taking a balance sheet approach to progress. This book helps with that perspective.
October 18, 2022
I read this book for my intro to sustainability class and this is definitely one of the best books I have ever read! It is so eye opening and gives me a whole new way of thinking about how the earth and are culture works. I find myself thinking about the concepts in this book on a daily basis and think that this books has changed my view on life forever.
September 21, 2025
I feel that Tom provides good information here that is well researched and offers a compelling case for slowing down and examining materialism and progress in the world. It provided a good introduction to this topic but I left wanting more in depth analysis, which led me to pursue other material on the same topic.
August 17, 2019
This author has an interesting argument, but I'm not sure it is sound. It is in direct contradiction to Steven Pinker's book Enlightenment Now. Wessels claims that due to the second law of thermodynamics continued economic progress is impossible.
July 27, 2024
Really interesting book! I love the real world examples and the focus on community. I wish that we could easily implement the goals mentioned and could displace corporate greed for a collaborative society.
December 9, 2021
Interesting series of essays from 2006, exploring the unsustainable way our culture has traditionally felt with the environment. The question remains, some 15 years later--Will we change?
January 17, 2022
More relevant than ever, even after 15 years. Despite its conciseness, its five chapters offer the fundamentals you need to know of why our world ecology is in decline.
November 23, 2023
it has good concepts, just not a book that I would usually pick up
March 8, 2023
"The Myth of Progress" by Tom Wessels is a thought-provoking and insightful critique of the Western notion of progress and the impact it has had on the environment and society. Wessels argues that our society's relentless pursuit of progress has led to the degradation of the natural world, the erosion of traditional cultures, and the loss of community and connection.
One of the strengths of this book is Wessels' ability to weave together various strands of information into a cohesive and compelling narrative. He draws on a wide range of sources, including history, philosophy, ecology, and anthropology, to provide a comprehensive critique of the myth of progress.
Wessels offers a nuanced and insightful analysis of the problems inherent in the modern notion of progress. He explores how the pursuit of material wealth and technological advancement has led to the exploitation of natural resources, the erosion of traditional cultures, and the breakdown of community and social cohesion.
The writing style of the book is clear and accessible, making it a pleasure to read. Wessels has a talent for presenting complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand and relatable.
Overall, "The Myth of Progress" is a timely and important book that offers a much-needed critique of the Western notion of progress. It challenges readers to rethink their assumptions about the relationship between humans and the natural world, and to consider the implications of our relentless pursuit of growth and advancement. Whether you're an environmentalist, a social activist, or simply interested in the impact of human activity on the planet, this book is a must-read. Wessels' thoughtful analysis and compelling arguments make "The Myth of Progress" a valuable and enlightening read for anyone seeking to better understand our relationship with the world around us.
One of the strengths of this book is Wessels' ability to weave together various strands of information into a cohesive and compelling narrative. He draws on a wide range of sources, including history, philosophy, ecology, and anthropology, to provide a comprehensive critique of the myth of progress.
Wessels offers a nuanced and insightful analysis of the problems inherent in the modern notion of progress. He explores how the pursuit of material wealth and technological advancement has led to the exploitation of natural resources, the erosion of traditional cultures, and the breakdown of community and social cohesion.
The writing style of the book is clear and accessible, making it a pleasure to read. Wessels has a talent for presenting complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand and relatable.
Overall, "The Myth of Progress" is a timely and important book that offers a much-needed critique of the Western notion of progress. It challenges readers to rethink their assumptions about the relationship between humans and the natural world, and to consider the implications of our relentless pursuit of growth and advancement. Whether you're an environmentalist, a social activist, or simply interested in the impact of human activity on the planet, this book is a must-read. Wessels' thoughtful analysis and compelling arguments make "The Myth of Progress" a valuable and enlightening read for anyone seeking to better understand our relationship with the world around us.
August 22, 2020
Tom Wessels is the William Catton of the 21st Century. A mind-expanding read. I was particularly touched by the conclusion.
November 17, 2015
Ecologists are diametrically the opposite of economists in world view and values. While the latter take a linear approach to understanding processes and endorse the infinite substitutability of resources, ecologists on the other hand take on a systems perspective where every component is interconnected and the whole is greater than just the sum of its parts. The author makes the standard arguments of most scientifically trained minds against the impossibility and error of our growth driven civilization - that this will inevitably run into physical limits, while increasing entropy and the simplification of ecosystems to our collective detriment.
Indeed, there are many pertinent lessons that we can learn by observing nature, for instance how complex systems have emergent properties that cannot be gleaned from simply studying their individual components, how positive feedback results in potential bifurcation points where sudden unexpected and dramatic changes to the state of affairs happens - such as climatic shifts to ice ages, earthquakes etc. The natural resilience of mature ecosystems due to high biodiversity and built in redundancies also has parallels in human societies, where the increasing concentration of activities in the hands of major corporations and nations weakens our resilience to sudden shocks such as natural disasters and terrorist acts.
What this book lacks however, are realistic alternatives to our current growth driven model. Steady state economics, more localized food production and closer knit communities are advocated, but how to even begin to get there without suffering a major collapse in the interim is left unaddressed. I suppose one cannot expect an ecologist to also offer expert opinion on financial economics. Towards the end the author also tends toward moralizing on what cultural values people should have, that of spiritualism and mysticism like that of the native American Indian tribes, which he quotes from. This detracts from the otherwise practical ecological concepts introduced in the earlier part.
Indeed, there are many pertinent lessons that we can learn by observing nature, for instance how complex systems have emergent properties that cannot be gleaned from simply studying their individual components, how positive feedback results in potential bifurcation points where sudden unexpected and dramatic changes to the state of affairs happens - such as climatic shifts to ice ages, earthquakes etc. The natural resilience of mature ecosystems due to high biodiversity and built in redundancies also has parallels in human societies, where the increasing concentration of activities in the hands of major corporations and nations weakens our resilience to sudden shocks such as natural disasters and terrorist acts.
What this book lacks however, are realistic alternatives to our current growth driven model. Steady state economics, more localized food production and closer knit communities are advocated, but how to even begin to get there without suffering a major collapse in the interim is left unaddressed. I suppose one cannot expect an ecologist to also offer expert opinion on financial economics. Towards the end the author also tends toward moralizing on what cultural values people should have, that of spiritualism and mysticism like that of the native American Indian tribes, which he quotes from. This detracts from the otherwise practical ecological concepts introduced in the earlier part.
Read
February 11, 2013Myth of Progress___________________________________
The Linear Paradigm and Western Culture (page 19)
For the past four centuries a linear, reductionistic paradigm has not only structured Western science but also the culture’s view of the world. Our educational system ahs played a strong role in developing and supporting this paradigm. All of my science classes in high school and college were based on a linear systems approach, even though we were often studying complex systems. Not only that, the entire way the educational system was structured was based on the linear paradigm. Knowledge was divided into parts-science philosophy, history, math-when in fact all these approaches are tightly connected. During my educational was never exposed to an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge. Knowledge was divided into its parts, and then the parts were divided further. Science was broken down into the biological and physical science. Then each branch was reduced further and further into even more specialized courses-reductionionism. Most of the courses also had a linear approach to evalution that focused on the parts through objective tests. To prepare for these tests I had to memorize thousands of individual facts. It was rare to take a test that asked me to synthesize the material in ways that examined m y understanding of patterns or process. Based on this educational approach, it shouldn’t be surprising that tour entire cultural outlook is focused through the lens of linear-systems thinking even though the bulk of these systems we see and interact with don’t function in this way. As such we are deceived into a sense that we can control things like nature, the economy, or social problems by tinkering with parts, when in fact we can’t. A look at the 2003 foreign policy on terrorism is a prime example.
Pages:
50, 52, 62, 63, 89, 97, 104
The Linear Paradigm and Western Culture (page 19)
For the past four centuries a linear, reductionistic paradigm has not only structured Western science but also the culture’s view of the world. Our educational system ahs played a strong role in developing and supporting this paradigm. All of my science classes in high school and college were based on a linear systems approach, even though we were often studying complex systems. Not only that, the entire way the educational system was structured was based on the linear paradigm. Knowledge was divided into parts-science philosophy, history, math-when in fact all these approaches are tightly connected. During my educational was never exposed to an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge. Knowledge was divided into its parts, and then the parts were divided further. Science was broken down into the biological and physical science. Then each branch was reduced further and further into even more specialized courses-reductionionism. Most of the courses also had a linear approach to evalution that focused on the parts through objective tests. To prepare for these tests I had to memorize thousands of individual facts. It was rare to take a test that asked me to synthesize the material in ways that examined m y understanding of patterns or process. Based on this educational approach, it shouldn’t be surprising that tour entire cultural outlook is focused through the lens of linear-systems thinking even though the bulk of these systems we see and interact with don’t function in this way. As such we are deceived into a sense that we can control things like nature, the economy, or social problems by tinkering with parts, when in fact we can’t. A look at the 2003 foreign policy on terrorism is a prime example.
Pages:
50, 52, 62, 63, 89, 97, 104
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2007
Tom Wessels was the speaker at The Greater Lovell Land Trust this summer. I picked up this book instead of the one associated more directly with his talk. This is a short and very compelling work that directly tackles the implications of continuing economic growth through the application of scientific principles such as the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Wessels' strength is his ability to make complex scientific principles understandable to a very non-science oriented person (me) and then demonstrate through example the implication of these laws/principles on the future of our planet. This is a short work and reads very quickly. I recommend it to anyone concerned about the future of the earth. It provides a larger framework with with to view the books on local foods which I read earlier this summer.
November 5, 2015
This isn't exactly the most thorough analysis of what's wrong and how to fix it but it is a pretty good little book for introducing these ideas to someone who wouldn't read a four or five hundred pager. He doesn't really explain why growth is a necessity with the current global economy or what would need to be changed to allow things to function while shrinking. He basically just recommends reading Herman Daly and David Korten, and in my opinion neither of them really takes things far enough. Again though, I think the short length and easily understandable writing style of this one puts it into the "Christmas gift for your idiot republican friend or family member" category.
September 11, 2016
Well worth a read, Tom Wessels basically set out to show that the Neo-classical model of our Capitalist Free Market Economy which assumes unlimited exponential growth is unsustainable. He does this by pointing out that scientifically speaking our rejection of the "three Laws of Sustainability" (the law of limits to growth, the second law of thermodynamics, which exposes the dangers of increased energy consumption, and the law of self-organization, which results in the marvelous diversity of such highly evolved systems as the human body and complex ecosystems) is taking our civilization to the very brink of collapse.
February 15, 2016
Although short it was concise and precise, with very good arguments. The book is a critique of our modern paradigm of 'success', primarily focused on economic concepts, and written by a career ecologist. Seen from his perspective our obsession with economics and our strange notions of progress seem very backward indeed. It was a great read and I would highly recommend it to those not yet convinced that we need a major paradigm shift to have any hope of surviving as a species.
August 30, 2012
I was first introduce to Wessels through his book Reading the Forested Landscape, an excellent natural history book about how to infer past land use history and/or natural disturbances based on various clues which Wessels teaches the reader to recognize. This book is quite different, being a treatise on why, based on well-known scientific principles of ecology and thermodynamics, our planet cannot support the unending growth upon which our current economy depends.
July 28, 2007
This is the kind of book I would have read at Whitman if I had taken advantage of the environmental studies they offered. I love Tom Wessels. Very straight forward and articulate text about why we need to start paying more attention to the environment. Did I mention I really love Tom Wessels? I think it's mostly the beard.
December 22, 2008
Wessels is one of my guru's. This man can walk out in the woods and fully grasp the past relationships man has had in that place. It is truly is a gift he possess and an honor to be with him when he makes his interpretations. Not to mention he is just a good guy. And, he can out walk any body!!
If you are looking for a little book that is well written- this is it!!!!
If you are looking for a little book that is well written- this is it!!!!
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