Phải thú thật với các bạn rằng tác phẩm đề tài hơi "u ám" (Tại Sao các Nền Văn Minh Suy Tàn?) và nội dung cũng hơi khó vì cover nhiều lĩnh vực. Tuy nhiên, khi mình đọc qua vài câu đầu rồi thì không thể buông sách được. Tác giả có cách dụng từ và phong cách viết rất độc đáo và lôi cuốn (xin xem lời phê bình dưới đây), và mình nghĩ giả sử bạn không thích chủ đề đi nữa, việc chậm rãi đọc và thưởng thức cách viết của tác giả cũng là một phần thưởng hết sức xứng đáng. Xin trân trọng giới thiệu với các bạn. Immoderate Greatness explains how a civilization’s very magnitude conspires against it to cause downfall. Civilizations are hard-wired for self-destruction. They travel an arc from initial success to terminal decay and ultimate collapse due to intrinsic, inescapable biophysical limits combined with an inexorable trend toward moral decay and practical failure. Because our own civilization is global, its collapse will also be global, as well as uniquely devastating owing to the immensity of its population, complexity, and consumption. To avoid the common fate of all past civilizations will require a radical change in our ethos—to wit, the deliberate renunciation of greatness—lest we precipitate a dark age in which the arts and adornments of civilization are partially or completely lost. Reviews From Kirkus Reviews “Ophuls’ clear writing, thorough research and elegant logic make his treatise a thoughtful, discussing-provoking work.” ... "Ophuls superbly synthesizes a huge amount of literature and presents the synthesis in an easily accessible format with beautifully clear prose. He doesn’t sugarcoat his message. There's no false optimism here. The patient (modern human civilization) is critically and perhaps terminally ill, and Ophuls explains why with enormous skill." Thomas Homer-Dixon, University of Waterloo, author of The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization. ... I was surprised how brief this book was, but Ophuls really covers the ground needed to lead to inescapable and powerful conclusions. It's not a pretty forecast, but it's hard to find fault with any of his analysis. I've been interested in this topic for a long time so I had read many of his reference materials already. I'm not sure this book would work well as an introduction, but then, I can't really speak to that. Too early to tell how much this book has changed my life, but it certainly brought some ideas firmly together and put my head in a spin for a few days. It will change the way you look at the world. To my way of thinking, it's a good thing to know what's coming. This book doesn't spell out details, but clearly outlines the broad trends that are shaping the future. As I said, the conclusions are inescapable. No one can forecast the exact times things will go down, but Ophuls' vision of the future will surely be here soon enough. As short as it is, it's very well worth the time. I might even use the word Masterpiece. Very well crafted. Everyone should read it.
