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Collapse of Complex Societies by Dr. Joseph Tainter

vlada888 · lecture · Watch on YouTube

World historyFuturism & technology and societySocial issues & culture

What it is

Joseph Tainter lectures at a 2010 sustainability conference on why complex societies such as Rome collapse. His thesis is that rising complexity brings diminishing returns until societies cannot afford to maintain it.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Recommended as the best exposition of Tainter's theory, and used to explain slowing innovation, centralization and collapse risk.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 5 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2015, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “Spend some time watching Tainter's speech on complexity and collapse”

    Tainter on complexity and collapse, with closing call for adult conversations

    seltzered_, 2020-05 · Strong recommendation · in “Demand Nothing Less Than a Visionary Future”

  2. “he gives a great study on the nature of collapse with lots of examples”

    Tainter presenting his study of societal collapse

    faizshah, 2015-04 · Recommendation · in “Is global collapse imminent? (2014) [pdf]”

  3. “This video [1] has a great explanation and exploration of why innovation seems to be slowing down.”

    Explains slowing innovation using a century of patent data

    jontas, 2016-12 · Recommendation · in “Are ideas getting harder to find? [pdf]”

  4. “There is a whole framework for similar studies in social collapse - see this talk.”

    Framework for studying social collapse

    monday_, 2017-11 · Recommendation · in “Theories of civilisational ‘collapse’ grow less convincing when scrutinised”

  5. “Why Societies Collapse And What it Means for Us - Joseph A. Tainter”

    One of several recommended videos on collapse and overshoot

    myshpa, 2023-07 · Recommendation · in “How, Mathematically, We’re Fucked: Exponential growth on a finite planet”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: joseph tainter, complexity, diminishing returns, roman empire, sustainability

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