Scale cover art

Scale

The Universal Laws of Life and Death in Organisms, Cities and Companies

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Scale

By: Geoffrey West
Narrated by: Bruce Mann
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About this listen

Geoffrey West's research centres on a quest to find unifying principles and patterns connecting everything, from cells and ecosystems to cities, social networks and businesses.

Scale addresses big, urgent questions about global sustainability, population explosion, urbanization, ageing, cancer, human life spans and the increasing pace of life but also encourages us to question the world around us.

Why can we live for 120 years but not for a thousand? Why does the pace of life continually increase? Why do mice live for just two or three years and elephants for up to 75? Why do companies behave like mice, and are they all destined to die? Do cities, companies and human beings have natural, predetermined life spans? Are we just a fascinating experiment in natural selection that is ultimately doomed to fail? And what is the origin of the magic number four that seems to determine much of physiology and life history from birth to death?

©2017 Geoffrey West (P)2017 Penguin Random House Biological Sciences Biology Business Development Business Development & Entrepreneurship Science Sociology Urban Business Sustainability Ecosystem Capitalism

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Critic reviews

"An absolutely riveting read...groundbreaking." (Marcus du Sautoy)
"This book will expand your thinking from three dimensions to four." (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)
" Scale is a firework display of popular science." (Niall Ferguson)
"This is an important and original book, of immense scope." (Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal)
All stars
Most relevant
Lots of ground covered here but stick with it for an insight into explaining, or at least understanding, nature and the modern world around us without a need for any faith in any divinities.

Mathematics and beauty without faith

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Could have been more concise, such as leaving out the historical anecdotes about scientists etc.

Interesting ideas for sure but not concise enough

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Truly, a benchmark for a pop-sci work.
It also reveals how much we all are the same, around the globe.

Good science, good stats, amazingly explained.

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If the author would have stopped half way, it would have been a five star book, but once we get to the part of the cities and companies, thing derail pretty quickly. A typical example of overreach: not all findings in one field can be replicated in another.

Lukas

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It was a long listen, packed full of realism and storytelling. The reading was a bit forced and often too punchy. But the overarching theme of scaling and complexity was thoughtful and insightful. Also very much appreciated the respectful and personal tone suited for the general audience, which is often lacking in much scientific writing.

Information and accessible

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