gwern comments on Value evolution - Less Wrong

14 Post author: PhilGoetz 08 December 2011 11:47PM

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Comment author: gwern 09 December 2011 03:50:52AM 3 points [-]

This sounds like one of the narratives Tainter presents in Collapse of Complex Societies, FWIW, since it fits his overall theme: complex societies (like Rome) develop (militaristically expand) until the marginal return hits zero or goes negative (O(n^2) territory finally beats O(n) new area), and then they collapse (burned out and died).