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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
"There is yet one leverage point that is even higher than changing a paradigm. That is to keep oneself unattached in the arena of paradigms, to stay flexible, to realize that no paradigm is "true," that every one, including the one that sweetly shapes your own worldview, is a tremendously limited understanding of an immense and amazing universe that is far beyond human comprehension. It is to "get" at a gut level the paradigm that there are paradigms, and to see that that itself is a paradigm, and to regard that whole realization as devastatingly funny. It is to let go into not-knowing, into what the Buddhists call enlightenment."
"Human beings have been endowed not only with the ability to count, but also with the ability to assess quality. Be a quality detector. Be a walking, noisy Geiger counter that registers the presence or absence of quality. If something is ugly, say so. If it is tacky, inappropriate, out of proportion, unsustainable, morally degrading, ecologically impoverishing, or humanly demeaning, don't let it pass. Don't be stopped by the "if you can't define it and measure it, I don't have to pay attention to it" ploy. No one can define or measure justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love. No one can define or measure any value. But if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren't designed to produce them, if we don't speak about them and point toward their presence or absence, they will cease to exist."
Read this if you're interested in microcosmic and macrocosmic problem-solving. A must read for business, government, and community leaders.
"Human beings have been endowed not only with the ability to count, but also with the ability to assess quality. Be a quality detector. Be a walking, noisy Geiger counter that registers the presence or absence of quality. If something is ugly, say so. If it is tacky, inappropriate, out of proportion, unsustainable, morally degrading, ecologically impoverishing, or humanly demeaning, don't let it pass. Don't be stopped by the "if you can't define it and measure it, I don't have to pay attention to it" ploy. No one can define or measure justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love. No one can define or measure any value. But if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren't designed to produce them, if we don't speak about them and point toward their presence or absence, they will cease to exist."
Read this if you're interested in microcosmic and macrocosmic problem-solving. A must read for business, government, and community leaders.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Thinking in Systems offers an excellent introduction to systems thinking and approach through real life examples. You will begin to think of the world around you and current events in a new way while, and after, reading. I found the audiobook easier to consume simply because I was forced to listen without stopping every few paragraphs to make notes for myself. This approach allowed me to consider the work as a whole (system?) rather than dissecting each moment as I might with such a dense piece of scholarly material.
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
What an inspiration - wish I could have met Donella. Will be returning to and using for work.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
A bit confusing at times; takes a while to sit. And even after knowing about the system structure of the world, it's still a vast effort to take advantage of if, and oftentimes a lone ride. Still, I'm glad I read that.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This was excellent. It was super approachable and applicable to daily life outside of formal systems work. I really enjoyed it and want to read it again and own it. My job would not typically be thought of as heavily influenced by systems theory, but after reading this, I'm convinced most jobs are (mine included).
Best excerpt:
"There are no cheap tickets to mastery. You have to work hard at it. Whether that means rigorously analyzing a system or rigorously casting off your own paradigms and throwing yourself into the humility of not knowing. In the end, it seems that mastery has less to do with pushing leverage points than it does with strategically, profoundly, madly letting go and dancing with the system." - very end of chapter 6
Best excerpt:
"There are no cheap tickets to mastery. You have to work hard at it. Whether that means rigorously analyzing a system or rigorously casting off your own paradigms and throwing yourself into the humility of not knowing. In the end, it seems that mastery has less to do with pushing leverage points than it does with strategically, profoundly, madly letting go and dancing with the system." - very end of chapter 6
Better read than listened to as audiobook
informative
slow-paced
i wouldn't read it again but was informative!
Truly one of the best books I've read in a while! It changed my way of thinking about things! Meadows writes about complicated modeling and profound questions with astonishing clarity and wisdom. I read this in conjunction with a systems dynamics modeling course for graduate school, but it applies to so much in everyday life (underscored by her usage of then-current newspaper headlines to illustrate systems dynamics in action). Highly, highly, highly recommend to anyone who thinks that cause-and-effect discourse that's so rampant today doesn't actually solve things.