Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen
Categories: Science & Math
Physicist Mark Buchanan explains how earthquakes, forest fires, stock market crashes and wars follow similar patterns. Drawing on complexity science, he describes systems in a critical state, where small events can trigger huge upheavals, and power laws that govern their size. Buchanan argues that this insight changes how we think about history, prediction and the nature of the world. The book is written for general readers.
Recommended by 1 person
- Shane Parrish: “I recently re-read Ubiquity to prepare for the Farnam Street Reading Group we have going on right now (we’re reading it together). The book tries to address a pretty useful question: How does a complex system tip into massive, consequential events?”