The Collapse of Complex Societies
The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainterby Joseph A. Tainter
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Recommended as a serious, non-conspiratorial study of why complex societies collapse, and as a read for anyone interested in societal collapse.
Recommended as a serious, non-conspiratorial study of why complex societies collapse, and as a read for anyone interested in societal collapse.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Serious research on societal collapse
“Everyone should read or at least be familiar with Joseph Tainter and his research on societal collapse.”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Over-regulation is doubling the cost” Not conspiratorial or pessimistic
“It's not a conspiratorial or even outright pessimistic theory.”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Charlie Stross – On the non-use of AI in my writing process” Recommended to readers with similar interests
“it seems like Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies (1988) might also be interesting for the same readers.”
Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “OpenAI, the US government and Persona built an identity surveillance machine”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Collapse of Complex Societiesby Joseph A. TainterThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's not a conspiratorial or even outright pessimistic theory.”
“it seems like Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies (1988) might also be interesting for the same readers.”
“Everyone should read or at least be familiar with Joseph Tainter and his research on societal collapse.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.