The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens Joe Tainter: “Surplus, Complexity, and Simplification”
20 snips
Jul 13, 2022 AI Snips
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Foraging Theory Inspires Collapse Research
- Joe Tainter connected animal foraging economics to societal collapse while reading in 1983.
- He realized complexity growth and collapse relate to costs and benefits of problem-solving strategies.
Complexity Requires Organization
- Complexity involves both structure and organization in a society.
- Without organization, many parts together form complication, not true complexity.
Complexity Has Energy Costs
- Complexity always carries an energy cost, unlike simple societies.
- Increasing complexity means societies need higher energy to maintain function.