“Fragile, impermanent things”: Joseph Tainter on what makes civilizations fall

By Jessica McKenzie | March 12, 2025

"Desolation," from “The Course of Empire” series by American painter Thomas Cole in the 1830s. Public domain image.

“Fragile, impermanent things”: Joseph Tainter on what makes civilizations fall

By Jessica McKenzie | March 12, 2025

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Jim Contreras
Jim Contreras
5 days ago

I’m glad someone is thinking of these things.

Margaret Coles
Margaret Coles
4 days ago

Have you listened to this video with Cambridge Climate Scientist Peter Wadham. He reckons by 2025 the world will be an utter mess. That is too soon to mess about.

Margaret Coles
Margaret Coles
4 days ago

Are you familiar with polar climate scientist Prof Peter Wadhams from Cambridge University? He argues very clearly that the collapse of sea ice, and increase in methane will cause changes to the world which will be chaotic, worldwide, as soon as 2050.