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Thinking in Systems cover art

Thinking in Systems

Written by: Donella H. Meadows
Narrated by: Tia Rider Sorensen
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Publisher's Summary

In the years following her role as the lead author of the international best seller, Limits to Growth - the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet - Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001. 

Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem-solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing listeners how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life. 

Some of the biggest problems facing the world - war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation - are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking. 

While listeners will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds listeners to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner. 

In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps listeners avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2008 Sustainability Institute (P)2018 Chelsea Green Publishing

What listeners say about Thinking in Systems

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  • Zac
  • 2020-10-24

Good book with Deleuzian undertones

Personally, I recommend skipping the last chapter to instead read Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism right away. Try thinking of Capital as a runaway system, and take a look at Deleuze, Land, Bostrom, and Fisher.

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alright alright alright

very interesting book. served as a great introduction into system theory. the theories appear to offer a broad range of explanatory power in almost any field. however that broad applicability may be viewed as detracting from the potential validity of the theory itself. regardless it's a very interesting listen and if your looking for something to get you thinking outside the box, this book has a good chance of doing just that.

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Brings clarity of concepts to various contexts

I loved it. This book is indeed a good primer to systems thinking. It applies the concepts to a wide variety of contexts, levels and timescales. It's also inspiring.

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Why did I only find this now!?

Ohhh, if only I, and so many others, had read this book when It was written -- perhaps we would all be in a better place now. What an incredible thinker. She could see it all so well, and tried tried to explain it all so succinctly.

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Amazing

This is definitely a book to go back to again and again. Well written to make systems thinking easily comprehensible.

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Milestone book

Great material for boosting your understanding of System Thinking
Nicely, clearly narrated and entertaining ; addictive

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Useful

A very interesting lens to add to your toolbox, putting things into a system lens has been very clarifying for our company. The author presents the concepts in a way that is very understandable! Don't be scared by the complex diagrams once you've sat with Donella Meadows' explanation for a while they become useful learning aids. I suggest working through this with at least one other person and applying systems thinking to systems that are not in the book to help grasp the concepts.

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important book

this book tied together a surprising number of my perception about our society. very helpful.

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A Masterpiece!

One of the most insightful, practical, and thought-provoking books I've ever read. I'm at the level of learning it for now. Mastering what Meadows says in this book is a life-long pursuit.

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Don’t wast your money

If you are looking for useful information or tools for professional use this book is not for you

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