# The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter

3 Hacker News commenters recommended The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a serious, non-conspiratorial study of why complex societies collapse, and as a read for anyone interested in societal collapse.

## Why people recommend it

- Serious research on societal collapse (1 comments): "Everyone should read or at least be familiar with Joseph Tainter and his research on societal collapse." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999985))
- Not conspiratorial or pessimistic (1 comments): "It's not a conspiratorial or even outright pessimistic theory." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49136895))
- Recommended to readers with similar interests (1 comments): "it seems like Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies (1988) might also be interesting for the same readers." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47145512))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521340926?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780521340922) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter", https://hackerapproved.com/p/collapse-of-complex-societies/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).