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Donella Meadows

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Also known as Donella Hager Meadows, Donella H. Meadows

American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer (1941–2001)

Person · Open Library

Works
0

Top works

  • Grenzen des Wachstums - Das 30-Jahre-Update

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
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Total plays
150

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via Last.fm · Donella Meadows

Quotes

  • Models can easily become so complex that they are impenetrable, unexaminable, and virtually unalterable.
  • The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological–social–psychological–economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as if it were divisible, separable, simple, and infinite. Our persistent, intractable global problems arise directly from this mismatch.
  • Calculating how much carbon is absorbed by which forests and farms is a tricky task, especially when politicians do it.
  • The future can't be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being. Systems can't be controlled, but they can be designed and redesigned. We can't surge forward with certainty into a world of no surprises, but we can expect surprises and learn from them and even profit from them.
  • Before you disturb the system in any way, watch how it behaves. If it's a piece of music or a whitewater rapid or a fluctuation in a commodity price, study its beat. If it's a social system, watch it work. Learn its history.
  • Starting with the behavior of the system forces you to focus on facts, not theories. It keeps you from falling too quickly into your own beliefs or misconceptions, or those of others.

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