{"product_id":"x-events-9780062088291","title":"X-Events","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA necessary and thought-provoking read for the age of coronavirus, exploring eleven scenarios that may trigger the collapse of the modern world -- from pandemics to nuclear apocalypse to robot uprisings -- and what we can do to prevent and survive them. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the twenty first century, our world has become impossibly complicated, relying on ever more advanced technology that is developing at an exponential rate. Yet it is a fact of mathematical life that higher and higher levels of complexity lead to systems that are increasingly fragile and susceptible to sudden, spectacular collapse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this highly provocative and grippingly readable book, John Casti brilliantly argues that today's advanced, overly complex societies have grown highly vulnerable to extreme events that will ultimately topple civilization like a house of cards. Like Nassim Taleb's \u003cem\u003eThe Black Swan \u003c\/em\u003emeets Jared Diamond's \u003cem\u003eCollapse\u003c\/em\u003e, Casti's book provides a much-needed wake-up call, sounding a fascinating and frightening warning about civilized society's inability to recover from a global catastrophe.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn eye-opening and necessary read, \u003cem\u003eX-Events\u003c\/em\u003e is a shocking look at a world teetering on the brink of collapse, and a population under constant threat from pandemic viruses, worldwide communication breakdowns, nuclear winter, or any number of unforeseeable \"X-Events.\" Fascinating and chilling, \u003cem\u003eX-Events\u003c\/em\u003e provides a provocative tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age - and shows that they may not be as far-fetched as they seem. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e William Morrow \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/12\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780062088291\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.54lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.34w x 0.86d","brand":"John L. Casti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43111990984885,"sku":"9780062088291","price":14.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_3aeb553f-fea1-41a2-aaee-344b1c5666a3.jpg?v=1693926283","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/x-events-9780062088291","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}