Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse” made a deep impression on me when I read it ten years ago. The book explored the reasons why societies fail.

I thought of Collapse when I read this post.

Jared Diamond wondered what the inhabitants of Easter Island were thinking when they chopped down the last tree to build another giant head to appease their Gods. The ecological disaster that followed was a direct result of simulated thinking.

We call it many things — group think, mob mentality, conformist thinking, etc. But as we move towards a global, homogenised culture, the dangers of simulated thinking are clear. Are we doomed to repeat Easter Island, but on a giant, global scale?

Thank you Jordan for such a thought provoking post.