<p><span class="inline inline-left"><img src="http://www.energybulletin.net/sites/default/files/images/simplicity-fig1.thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image image-thumbnail" width="100" height="60" /></span>While Tainter’s theory of social complexity has much to commend it, in this paper I wish to examine and ultimately challenge Tainter’s conclusion that voluntary simplification is not a viable path to sustainability. In fact, I will argue that it is by far our best bet, even if the odds do not provide grounds for much optimism. Moreover, should sustainability prove too ambitious a goal for industrial civilisation, I contend that simplification remains the most effective means of building ‘resilience’ (i.e. the ability of an individual or community to withstand societal or ecological shocks) [Part 2]</p>
<div class="image-clear"></div><p><a href="http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-07-15/resilience-through-simplification-revisiting-tainters-theory-collapse-part-2">read more</a></p>