Growth
From Microorganisms to Megacities
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Growth
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Narrated by:
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Eric Jason Martin
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By:
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Vaclav Smil
About this listen
Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.
Smil takes listeners from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. He examines the growth of energy conversions and man-made objects that enable economic activities - developments that have been essential to civilization. Finally, he looks at growth in complex systems, beginning with the growth of human populations and proceeding to the growth of cities.
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- Narrated by: Richard Lyddon
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 99
From the Industrial Revolution to the age of artificial intelligence, The Technology Trap takes a sweeping look at the history of technological progress and how it has radically shifted the distribution of economic and political power among society’s members.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good
- By Brad on 07-04-19
-
Sustainability
- A History
- By: Jeremy L. Caradonna
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
Caradonna's unique and concise history broadens our understanding of what "sustainability" means, revealing how it progressed from a relatively marginal concept to an ideal that shapes everything from individual lifestyles, government and corporate strategies, and even national and international policy. For anyone seeking understand the history of those striving to make the world a better place to live, here's a place to start.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By marc grub on 03-06-17
-
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
- How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong
- By: Robert Bryce
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
In this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.
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1 out of 5 stars
-
I thought I was getting a book on the future.
- By Grant on 08-02-14
By: Robert Bryce
-
Work
- A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots
- By: James Suzman
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 330
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 279
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 278
Work defines who we are. It determines our status and dictates how, where, and with whom we spend most of our time. It mediates our self-worth and molds our values. But are we hardwired to work as hard as we do? Did our Stone Age ancestors also live to work and work to live? And what might a world where work plays a far less important role look like? To answer these questions, James Suzman charts a grand history of "work" from the origins of life on Earth to our ever more automated present, challenging some of our deepest assumptions about who we are.
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2 out of 5 stars
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if you like Jared Diamond's work, you'll like this
- By Mark on 04-09-22
By: James Suzman
-
The Rise and Fall of American Growth
- The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War
- By: Robert J. Gordon
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 30 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 518
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 429
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 427
In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, home appliances, motor vehicles, air travel, air conditioning, and television transformed households and workplaces. With medical advances, life expectancy between 1870 and 1970 grew from 45 to 72 years. The Rise and Fall of American Growth provides an in-depth account of this momentous era.
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1 out of 5 stars
-
Over-detailed, with no engaging message
- By BehA on 01-31-17
By: Robert J. Gordon
-
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
- The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
- By: Bill Gates
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Bill Gates
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,603
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,878
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,845
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Be curious, not furious
- By Axel Merk on 02-20-21
By: Bill Gates
-
Origin Story
- A Big History of Everything
- By: David Christian
- Narrated by: Jamie Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,163
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,897
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,892
Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day - and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History", the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
A brilliant achievement, must read/listen
- By 11104 on 09-05-18
By: David Christian
-
Apocalypse Never
- Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All
- By: Michael Shellenberger
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,998
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,578
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,568
Michael Shellenberger has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. He helped save the world’s last unprotected redwoods. He co-created the predecessor to today’s Green New Deal. And he led a successful effort by climate scientists and activists to keep nuclear plants operating, preventing a spike of emissions. But in 2019, as some claimed "billions of people are going to die", contributing to rising anxiety, including among adolescents, Shellenberger decided that he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Environmentalist with integrity!
- By Wayne on 07-01-20
-
Fossil Future
- Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less
- By: Alex Epstein
- Narrated by: Alex Epstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 914
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 816
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 811
For over a decade, philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein has predicted that any negative impacts of fossil fuel use on our climate will be outweighed by the unique benefits of fossil fuels to human flourishing--including their unrivaled ability to provide low-cost, reliable energy to billions of people around the world, especially the world’s poorest people. And contrary to what we hear from media “experts” about today’s “renewable revolution” and “climate emergency,” reality has proven Epstein right.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Strongly Recommend
- By Kevin on 06-14-22
By: Alex Epstein
-
Pandora's Seed
- The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization
- By: Spencer Wells
- Narrated by: Spencer Wells
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 169
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 69
This new book by Spencer Wells, the internationally known geneticist, anthropologist, author, and director of the Genographic Project, focuses on the seminal event in human history: mankind's decision to become farmers rather than hunter-gatherers.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Short and unfocused, but often quite interesting.
- By Alan on 06-23-10
By: Spencer Wells
-
The Rational Optimist
- How Prosperity Evolves
- By: Matt Ridley
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,453
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,994
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,999
Life is getting better at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Personal
- By Robert F. Jones on 09-15-17
By: Matt Ridley
-
The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution
- A Captivating Guide to the Age of Reason and a Period of Major Industrialization
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7
If you want to discover the captivating history of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, then this two-in-one books bundle is for you. Includes: Age of Enlightenment and The Industrial Revolution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great overview of the subject
- By Vanimal on 09-20-23
-
The Vertical Farm
- Feeding the World in the 21st Century
- By: Dickson Despommier
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 72
When Columbia professor Dickson Despommier set out to solve America's food, water, and energy crises, he didn't just think big - he thought up. The vertical farm has excited scientists, architects, and politicians around the globe. These farms, grown inside skyscrapers, would provide solutions to many of the serious problems we currently face.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Brainstorming - Not reality
- By Texas Community Project on 01-25-11
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
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In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates. Smil assesses various suggestions for solving America's manufacturing crisis, including lowering corporate tax rates, promoting research and development, and improving public education. Will America act to reinvigorate manufacturing?
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3 out of 5 stars
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first half was good
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best from Vaclav, but near the top
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2 out of 5 stars
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Let me save you a credit: progress is hard
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5 out of 5 stars
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In this book, Vaclav Smil argues that power density is a key determinant of the nature and dynamics of energy systems. Any understanding of complex energy systems must rely on quantitative measures of many fundamental variables. Power density—the rate of energy flux per unit of area—is an important but largely overlooked measure. Smil provides the first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of the power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, thermal electricity generation, and all common energy uses.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not a good format for this book
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3 out of 5 stars
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first half was good
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2 out of 5 stars
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Let me save you a credit: progress is hard
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Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment - your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Strange book
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Size
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Size explains the regularities—and peculiarities—of the key processes shaping life (from microbes to whales), the Earth (from asteroids to volcanic eruptions), technical advances (from architecture to transportation), and societies and economies (from cities to wages).
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Worth a read
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Energy
- An Audio Guide
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 69
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Story4 out of 5 stars 73
In this user-friendly and informative audiobook, prolific author and academic Vaclav Smil provides an introduction to this far-reaching term and gives the reader a greater understanding of energy's place in both past and present society. Starting with an explanation of the concept, he goes on to cover such exciting topics as the inner workings of the human body, and the race for more efficient and environmentally friendly fuels.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Listening to the Encyclopedia of Energy
- By See Reverse on 03-02-18
By: Vaclav Smil
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The Blind Watchmaker
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,436
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The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. Charles Darwin's brilliant discovery challenged the creationist arguments; but only Richard Dawkins could have written this elegant riposte.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Challenging textbook more than an enjoyable listen
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The God Delusion
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- Unabridged
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,727
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Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Dangerous Religion
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By: Richard Dawkins
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Big Mistakes
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 143
Investing can be a roller-coaster of highs and lows, and the investors detailed here reveal just how low it can go; stories from Warren Buffet, Bill Ackman, Chris Sacca, Jack Bogle, Mark Twain, John Maynard Keynes, and many more illustrate the simple but overlooked concept that investing is really hard, whether you're managing a few thousand dollars or a few billion. Failures and losses are part of the game. Much more than just anecdotal diversion, these stories set the basis for the book's critical focus: learning from mistakes.
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3 out of 5 stars
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good content but annoying narrator
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An Introduction to Information Theory
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 56
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 48
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Story4 out of 5 stars 48
Behind the familiar surfaces of the telephone, radio, and television lies a sophisticated and intriguing body of knowledge known as information theory. This is the theory that has permitted the rapid development of all sorts of communication, from color television to the clear transmission of photographs from the vicinity of Jupiter. Even more revolutionary progress is expected in the future.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Not bad, but...
- By Jane Doe on 06-26-20
By: John R. Pierce
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How Asia Works
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 468
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 372
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 372
In How Asia Works, Joe Studwell distills extensive research into the economics of nine countries - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China - into an accessible narrative that debunks Western misconceptions, shows what really happened in Asia and why, and for once makes clear why some countries have boomed while others have languished.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
The best economic development book I’ve ever seen
- By Jay on 02-17-20
By: Joe Studwell
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Oxygen
- The Molecule That Made the World
- By: Nick Lane
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 172
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 170
Oxygen takes the listener on an enthralling journey, as gripping as a thriller, as it unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Story About Pretty Much Everything
- By ZebraBear on 09-09-20
By: Nick Lane
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Fossil Capital
- The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming
- By: Andreas Malm
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
The more we know about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we burn. How did we end up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy - but rather superior control of subordinate labor.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Detailed and well narrated
- By Nic on 07-28-21
By: Andreas Malm
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The Selfish Gene
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,543
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Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Better than print!
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Geography Is Destiny
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
When Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the 48 percent who wanted to stay and the 52 percent who wanted to go each accused the other of stupidity, fraud, and treason. In reality, the Brexit debate merely reran a script written ten thousand years earlier. Since 1900, however, thanks to rapid globalization, Britain has been overshadowed by American, European, and—increasingly—Chinese actors. Geography Is Destiny shows that the great question for the coming century is not what to do about Brussels; it's what to do about Beijing.
By: Ian Morris
What listeners say about Growth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AnnieDH
- 05-03-20
Unmatched detail and analysis
Growth covers such a broad subject matter to make the book have something for everyone interested in how the world works. Chapters on society, economics and the future were most meaningful to me.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-26-21
Informative and somewhat frightening
At times felt like an overload of information and stats but ultimately I enjoyed how it paints the picture of the danger of our unconstrained consumption and growth on the planet and to ourselves as a species.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
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- 11-16-20
Excellent book; condescending narrator
Enlightening, data-rich book with excellent foundations in engineering and history, like Smil's other works.
Must read for those in the arts and social studies (especially economics).
Only negative is the Narrator; he oozes condescension and detracts from the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hübelix
- 04-13-22
great book missing PDF in Audible
the usual accompaniing PDF is missing. great performance and content otherwise. Vaclav is a fantastic author
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ngoli
- 09-16-23
Accompanying PDF
A wealth of well researched detail as we have come to love from Vaclav Smil; however, it would have been great to have the accompanying PDF available.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Simon Y.
- 06-11-20
Needs PDF for figures
Quite tough, narrator sounds like a computer. He refers to figures but PDF is not available. This would greatly increase its value
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Armin Lalui
- 10-18-20
fascinating
it's long so I listened at 1.5 speed but still took a long time to get through. important insights into growth of everything and implications for how we think about out future
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tim Montgomery
- 08-16-20
Infinite growth is not sustainable!
Connecting the dots from virtually all areas of reference... Vaclav makes the point clear for all who want to understand: progress cannot continue forever without serious impact on the biosphere.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Sebastian
- 04-22-20
PDF should come with this book...
Great book BUT where is the pdf for all the charts and numbers mentioned? (which is the key info to understanding the context)
Please improve this!
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21 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- gary c.
- 04-25-20
Need accustomizing
Narration seems to progress in staccato fashion. I listen at x1. 3 to try to smooth over the minute pauses
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1 person found this helpful