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tiberius 's review for:
Thinking in Systems: A Primer
by Donella H. Meadows
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
The book is split into three sections: a primer on systems and their behaviour, systems and us, and using systems to create change.
The first section was exceptionally dry and academic, which was, at times, difficult to get through, especially when I didn’t have a specific system in mind to analyse. As a result, I’d only recommend this section if you have no understanding on different systems, their components and their behaviour, and want one before moving ahead, but, if I reread the book, I would skip this entirely, and only use it when analysing a specific system, skipping to the relevant part. Though, it is very informative.
The second and third sections were both much lighter, more enjoyable and extremely informative. The insights I’ve gained have gifted me with a deeper understanding of the problems we face as a society, detached from dogmatic ideologies, and significant insights into leverage points for invoking change in systems of all sizes.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how systems function—which is essentially almost everything—and particularly those who want to invoke change in their own lives and the world at large.
The first section was exceptionally dry and academic, which was, at times, difficult to get through, especially when I didn’t have a specific system in mind to analyse. As a result, I’d only recommend this section if you have no understanding on different systems, their components and their behaviour, and want one before moving ahead, but, if I reread the book, I would skip this entirely, and only use it when analysing a specific system, skipping to the relevant part. Though, it is very informative.
The second and third sections were both much lighter, more enjoyable and extremely informative. The insights I’ve gained have gifted me with a deeper understanding of the problems we face as a society, detached from dogmatic ideologies, and significant insights into leverage points for invoking change in systems of all sizes.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how systems function—which is essentially almost everything—and particularly those who want to invoke change in their own lives and the world at large.