{"product_id":"xevents-complexity-overload-and-the-collapse-of-everything-isbn-9780062088291","title":"X-Events: Complexity Overload and the Collapse of Everything","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA necessary and thought-provoking read for the age of coronavirus, exploring eleven scenarios that may trigger the collapse of the modern world — from pandemics to nuclear apocalypse to robot uprisings — and what we can do to prevent and survive them. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the twenty first century, our world has become impossibly complicated, relying on ever more advanced technology that is developing at an exponential rate. Yet it is a fact of mathematical life that higher and higher levels of complexity lead to systems that are increasingly fragile and susceptible to sudden, spectacular collapse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this highly provocative and grippingly readable book, John Casti brilliantly argues that today’s advanced, overly complex societies have grown highly vulnerable to extreme events that will ultimately topple civilization like a house of cards. Like Nassim Taleb’s \u003ci\u003eThe Black Swan \u003c\/i\u003emeets Jared Diamond’s \u003ci\u003eCollapse\u003c\/i\u003e, Casti’s book provides a much-needed wake-up call, sounding a fascinating and frightening warning about civilized society’s inability to recover from a global catastrophe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn eye-opening and necessary read, \u003ci\u003eX-Events\u003c\/i\u003e is a shocking look at a world teetering on the brink of collapse, and a population under constant threat from pandemic viruses, worldwide communication breakdowns, nuclear winter, or any number of unforeseeable “X-Events.” Fascinating and chilling, \u003ci\u003eX-Events\u003c\/i\u003e provides a provocative tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age – and shows that they may not be as far-fetched as they seem. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book unpacks the theory of surprise and answers the critical questions of our time:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eComplexity Overload:\u003c\/b\u003e Why our hyper-connected, technologically advanced civilization is more fragile than ever, and how even small shocks can trigger a total system meltdown.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Theory of Surprise:\u003c\/b\u003e An accessible framework for understanding \"unknown unknowns\" and anticipating the high-impact, low-probability X-Events that traditional forecasting models miss.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eEleven Paths to Collapse:\u003c\/b\u003e A chilling tour of potential doomsdays, from the failure of the global food supply and a continent-wide electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to a new world disorder.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSystems Thinking for Survival:\u003c\/b\u003e Practical insights from systems theory into how societies can build resilience, manage complexity, and prepare for the inevitable shocks that lie ahead.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eA page-turning exploration of eleven scenarios that may trigger the collapse of the modern world\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA renowned systems theorist, John Casti shows how our world has become impossibly complicated, relying on ever more advanced technology that is developing at an exponential rate. Yet it is a fact of mathematical life that higher and higher levels of complexity lead to systems that are increasingly fragile and susceptible to sudden, spectacular collapse. Fascinating and chilling, \u003cem\u003eX-Events\u003c\/em\u003e provides a provocative tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age: global financial \"black swans\"; a worldwide crash of the Internet that would halt all communication; the end of oil; nuclear winter; \"nanoplagues\"; robot uprisings; electromagnetic pulses; pandemic viruses; and more. You won't ever look at the world the same way again.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Casti is at his best in presenting difficult philosophical ideas enthusiastically and lucidly, and in presenting everyday examples to illustrate them. ... Entertaining and absorbing.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Dazzling ... A delightful tour de force ... Casti [is] a good teacher.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I am assiduous reader of John Casti’s books. He is a real scientific intellectual.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, author of The Black Swan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“One of America’s greatest pioneers of simulation.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I can vouchsafe that X-Events is a book worth reading. Casti is a great author ... will be of great interest.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJAMES WESLEY, RAWLES, SurvivorBlog.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888055415013,"sku":"NP9780062088291","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062088291.jpg?v=1730228045","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/xevents-complexity-overload-and-the-collapse-of-everything-isbn-9780062088291","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}