You’ll smile when you read the opening paragraphs of The Logic of Failure by
Dietrich Dörner (Metropolitan Books, $25, ISBN 0 8050 4160 5). These
introduce the disastrous consequences, like congestion and pollution, of
impeding traffic by speed bumps to improve the environment. Read on and the
smile fades. Dörner maintains that we fail because we apply simple
solutions to complex systems. He says that we should assess the whole rather
than the parts and suggests ways of doing that. Plenty of humour and fascinating
anecdotes in a serious yet enjoyable book.
More from 91av
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Health
Long covid reveals the harm of one-size-fits-all medical treatment
Leader
Mind
What to read this week: The 21st Century Brain by Hannah Critchlow
Culture
Space
Ann Leckie continues to shine with new sci-fi novel Radiant Star
Culture
Comment
Is an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg – or any boss – a good plan?
Regulars
Popular articles
Trending 91av articles
1
100-year-old assumption about the universe may soon be overturned
2
Thought-provoking photographs capture what it feels like to have ADHD
3
Weird 'transdimensional' state of matter is neither 2D nor 3D
4
Is consciousness more fundamental to reality than quantum physics?
5
We may finally have a cure for many different autoimmune conditions
6
The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe
7
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
8
Why dinosaurs lived much more complex lives than we thought
9
Cancer is increasing in young people and we still don't know why
10
Simple treatment tweak drastically reduces blood loss from severe cuts
