The review examines 'Zuozhuan', an ancient Chinese historical text, exploring its content, context, and relevance to understanding societal transformation. Longer summary

This review explores the ancient Chinese text 'Zuozhuan', a commentary on the 'Spring and Autumn Annals', covering the political and social upheavals of the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE). The author delves into the historical context, the text's structure and content, and its relevance to understanding societal collapse and transformation. The review highlights the text's rich narratives, complex characters, and its value in providing perspective on living through tumultuous times. Shorter summary

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