# Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows

17 Hacker News commenters recommended Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for changing how they see cause and effect, with names for patterns and a clear split between stocks and flows.

## Why people recommend it

- Changes view of cause and effect (3 comments): "It didn’t just teach me systems theory it permanently changed how I interpret cause and effect." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46345718)) "Looking for (maybe hidden) stocks in systems also changes how one sees the world." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46346950)) "structure is the key to understanding not just what is happening, but why" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905893))
- Names patterns people already sense (2 comments): "I am not sure if you've read the book. But even though you've not used terms like feedback loops, etc. I think what you are saying is not much different from what the book says." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907222)) "It's all very approachable, nothing very complex, but gives names and discreet patterns to things I intuitively understood" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904900))
- Clear stocks versus flows distinction (2 comments): "This book made me start focusing on flows vs stocks, a distinction humans tend to get backwards and the make several related mistakes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909952)) "Looking for (maybe hidden) stocks in systems also changes how one sees the world." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46346950))
- Recommended for systems topics (2 comments): "You're probably already aware of this book but just in case, have you read Thinking In Systems" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397971)) "I recommend "Thinking in Systems" by Donella H. Meadows (ISBN13 9781603580557) on this topic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46904157))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/g-del-escher-bach.md): 47 recommend
- [Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinking-fast-and-slow.md): 17 recommend
- [The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins](https://hackerapproved.com/p/selfish-gene.md): 14 recommend
- [Cosmos by Carl Sagan](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cosmos.md): 13 recommend
- [A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith](https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-city-on-mars.md): 11 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1136551409?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781136551406) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows", https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinking-in-systems/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).