{"product_id":"9780062088307","title":"X-Events","description":"\u003cp\u003eA necessary and thought-provoking read for the age of coronavirus, exploring eleven scenarios that may trigger the collapse of the modern world — from pandemics to nuclear apocalypse to robot uprisings — and what we can do to prevent and survive them. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the twenty first century, our world has become impossibly complicated, relying on ever more advanced technology that is developing at an exponential rate. Yet it is a fact of mathematical life that higher and higher levels of complexity lead to systems that are increasingly fragile and susceptible to sudden, spectacular collapse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this highly provocative and grippingly readable book, John Casti brilliantly argues that today’s advanced, overly complex societies have grown highly vulnerable to extreme events that will ultimately topple civilization like a house of cards. Like Nassim Taleb’s The Black Swan meets Jared Diamond’s Collapse, Casti’s book provides a much-needed wake-up call, sounding a fascinating and frightening warning about civilized society’s inability to recover from a global catastrophe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn eye-opening and necessary read, X-Events is a shocking look at a world teetering on the brink of collapse, and a population under constant threat from pandemic viruses, worldwide communication breakdowns, nuclear winter, or any number of unforeseeable “X-Events.” Fascinating and chilling, X-Events provides a provocative tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age – and shows that they may not be as far-fetched as they seem. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow do we characterize risk and build resilience in a world of unknown unknowns?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eEleven Catastrophic Scenarios:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore detailed case studies of potential collapse, from a long-term Internet failure and global pandemic to an electromagnetic pulse that sends us back to the Stone Age.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Complexity Gap:\u003c\/b\u003e Uncover the book’s core thesis—how the widening gap between our systems’ complexity and our ability to manage them is the true engine of collapse.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Theory of Surprise:\u003c\/b\u003e Move beyond \"black swans\" with a new framework for understanding rare, high-impact events that defy traditional statistics and risk models.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePractical Survival Strategies:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover what we can do, as individuals and as a society, to anticipate these threats, mitigate their impact, and build more resilient systems for the future.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"John L. Casti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47007004721301,"sku":"9780062088307","price":4.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780062088307.jpg?v=1776889914","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780062088307","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}