2 ms·

Can you please elaborate a little on "complex system collapse" concept? I couldn't get it. The Mayan example given here by someguydave shown some kind of syste

• internaut 10y ago
  The Maya are an example but there are thousands of them. There is a reoccurring phenomenon where a society gets more sophisticated and then abruptly vanishes into the jungle or tears itself apart for little discernible rationale. Everything is going fine and then suddenly it gets really weird and nobody knows why. Just as civilizations are emergent phenomena, so too is their breakdown. In fact it is like clockwork or an algorithm, there is something chillingly mechanical about the phenomenon. The bible on this subject is a book called The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter. It is one of the most fascinating reads I've ever read. It is also the nearest thing the real world contains to Lovecraftian Horror. Much of it is plain creepy and this is from one of the most respected guys in archeology.