Of Ants and Men The Unexpected Side Effects of Complexity in Society

Why do things go wrong? Why, despite all the planning and care in the world, do things go from bad to worse? This book argues that it is because we are like the ants. Just as ants create an anthill without being aware of it, unintended side effects of human activity create all manner of social trend...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Green, David G.
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Berlin, Heidelberg Copernicus 2014, 2014
Edition:1st ed. 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Springer eBooks 2005- - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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245 0 0 |a Of Ants and Men  |h Elektronische Ressource  |b The Unexpected Side Effects of Complexity in Society  |c by David G. Green 
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260 |a Berlin, Heidelberg  |b Copernicus  |c 2014, 2014 
300 |a XI, 271 p. 29 illus  |b online resource 
505 0 |a From Bad to Worse -- Of Ants and Men -- A Tangled Web -- The Eye of the Beholder -- The Animal Within -- More things in heaven and earth -- The Sting in the Tail -- Divide and Rule -- One thing leads to another -- The Snowball Effect -- A Deadly Cascade -- Collateral damage -- The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back -- The Herd Instinct -- The Subatomic Family -- The Global Village -- The Root of All Evil -- Fouling the Nest -- Shaping the Future 
653 |a Complex Systems 
653 |a Applied Dynamical Systems 
653 |a System theory 
653 |a Nonlinear theories 
653 |a Mathematical physics 
653 |a Theoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics 
653 |a Dynamics 
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989 |b Springer  |a Springer eBooks 2005- 
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520 |a Why do things go wrong? Why, despite all the planning and care in the world, do things go from bad to worse? This book argues that it is because we are like the ants. Just as ants create an anthill without being aware of it, unintended side effects of human activity create all manner of social trends and crises. The book traces the way these trends emerge and the role they play in some of the major issues of our time. One of the greatest challenges today is the complexity of our social and economic systems. Every action has side effects that people often ignore or fail to see. The book examines the ways in which limitations in our thinking and behaviour lead to unintended side effects. It looks at the role played by complex networks of interactions. Finally, it looks at the way side effects of new technologies, especially computers and communication, have created an Information Revolution, the full repercussions of which are yet to be seen. In our race to create new technologies and sustain indefinite economic growth, we are at best dimly aware of the ways in which we are transforming society and threatening our environment