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thereadingmuffin's review
challenging
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.5
A short book (felt more like an academic article) that was depressing but informative. I'm glad my tutor recommended it, I would definitely really it again as a few months later after reading it I have now forgotten most of it. I did enjoy it though when I read it!
bootless_bandit's review
4.0
Wow. This should be mandatory reading.
The first two parts of the book in particular clearly and emphatically lay out the perils of exponential growth within a finite system. That is, the growth of humanity’s population and industrial output on our finite earthly home.
I consider myself well educated, and I’ve had the privilege to devote time and effort to learning throughout my life. But this book has made me wrestle with new questions regarding humanity’s limits to growth.
The first two parts of the book in particular clearly and emphatically lay out the perils of exponential growth within a finite system. That is, the growth of humanity’s population and industrial output on our finite earthly home.
I consider myself well educated, and I’ve had the privilege to devote time and effort to learning throughout my life. But this book has made me wrestle with new questions regarding humanity’s limits to growth.
iamcurie's review against another edition
5.0
An absolut must-read for system scientists but just as important and eye opening for everyone else as well!
mattycakesbooks's review
5.0
"The planet cannot continue on its current trajectory for another century without collapse."
*Checks to see when book was written.*
*Published in 1972. 46 years ago.*
*Goes ahead and books that ticket to Harry Potter land.*
*Checks to see when book was written.*
*Published in 1972. 46 years ago.*
*Goes ahead and books that ticket to Harry Potter land.*
martin_books's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
drjohnbrown's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
5.0
For a book so many decades old, this feels like prophesy. The authors from the Club of Rome could have not possibly imagined the ways I constrained growth have impacted the planet- and frankly, their doomsday scenario now seems laughably conservative. This has pushed me hard, and I’ll be sitting with these concepts for awhile.
elerireads's review against another edition
4.0
The title is kind of clever because to start with they're talking about the absolute physical limits to growth and what happens when we reach them (complete societal collapse), but then later they get onto ways to impose our own limits (you know, to avoid said collapse). Main interesting takeaway from the model was that if you do something about one of the problem factors then all that happens is that one of the others gets you instead - you've got to deal with all of them at once... then looking ways to do that, it was the comment about needing to "suspend political feasibility" that stuck with me because yeah sure there are theoretically solutions but I can't realistically see any of them being attempted because it would be political suicide.
Doom-laden projections aside, this was a really fun global modelling exercise and I'm going to take what joy I can from what was otherwise a super depressing read.
Doom-laden projections aside, this was a really fun global modelling exercise and I'm going to take what joy I can from what was otherwise a super depressing read.