This review examines Joseph Tainter's theory of societal collapse due to diminishing returns on complexity, critiquing aspects of the model and attempting to apply it to modern contexts. Longer summary

This review of Joseph Tainter's 'The Collapse of Complex Societies' outlines Tainter's theory that societal collapse occurs due to declining marginal returns on investment in complexity. The reviewer summarizes Tainter's key arguments about diminishing returns in areas like food/fuel extraction, science, education, sociopolitical complexity, and economic productivity. The review examines Tainter's case studies of the Roman, Mayan, and Chacoan civilizations, and discusses Tainter's views on collapse in modern times. The reviewer critiques some aspects of Tainter's model, particularly questioning why societies can't simply stop growing at an optimal point. The review concludes by attempting to apply Tainter's model to modern contexts like US colleges and current US strategies. Shorter summary

The post satirically portrays ancient concepts as 'modern pathologies' to criticize aspects of contemporary society. Longer summary

This post satirically critiques various historical and cultural phenomena by framing them as 'modern pathologies'. The author sarcastically describes the Great Pyramid of Cheops, heterosexual procreation, Homer's Odyssey, Aristotelian virtue theory, and Catholicism as if they were recent developments, using them to criticize aspects of modern society such as individualism, capitalism, and standardization. The tone is deeply ironic, using anachronistic comparisons to modern concepts like neoliberalism, Instagram, and corporate culture to highlight perceived flaws in contemporary society. Shorter summary