Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Based on more than three decades of observation, Robert Jervis concludes in this book that the very foundation of many social science theories - especially those in political science - are faulty. Taking insights from complexity theory as his point of departure, the author observes that we live in a world where things are interconnected, where unintended consequences of our actions are unavoidable and unpredictable, and where the total effect of behavior is not equal to the sum of individual actions.
Jervis draws on a wide range of human endeavors to illustrate the nature of these system effects. He shows how increasing airport security might actually cost lives, not save them, and how removing dead trees (ostensibly to give living trees more room) may damage the health of an entire forest.
Similarly, he highlights the interconnectedness of the political world as he describes how the Cold War played out and as he narrates the series of events - with their unintended consequences - that escalated into World War I.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Previews available in: English
Showing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
System Effects
December 28, 1998, Princeton University Press
Paperback
in English
- New Ed edition
0691005303 9780691005300
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
System effects: complexity in political and social life
1997, Princeton University Press
in English
0691026246 9780691026244
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
First Sentence
"ON THE centennial of the publication of The Origin of Species, H. J. Muller wrote an article entitled "One Hundred Years Without Darwinism Are Enough.""
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Excerpts
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created April 29, 2008
- 8 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
October 8, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
July 31, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
August 6, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 29, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |