Scale

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

Geoffrey West

Book Reviews

Stewart Brand: “This spectacular book on how logarithmic scaling governs everything is packed with news—from the self-similar dynamics of cells and ecosystems to exactly why companies always die and cities don’t.

I dog-eared and marked up damn near every page.”

Marc Benioff: "Geoffrey West's Scale is filled with brilliant insights.

He illuminates the laws of nature underlying everything from tiny organisms and humans to cities and companies, and provides a quantitative framework for decoding the deep complexity of our interconnected world.

If you want to know why companies fail, how cities persist and what is needed to sustain our civilization in this era of rapid innovation, read this amazing book.”

Bill Miller: “If there were a Nobel Prize for transdisciplinary science Geoffrey West would have won it for the work covered in Scale. 

This is a book of great originality and deep importance, containing startling insights about topics as seemingly unrelated as aging and death, sleep, metabolism, cities, energy use, creativity, corporations, and even the sustainability of our existence. 

If you are curious about how the world really works, you must read this book.”

Nassim Taleb: “Each human should learn to read and write, to count, and for those who know how to count, scalability.

Scaling is the most important yet most hidden and rarely discussed attribute—without understanding it one cannot possibly understand the world.

This book will expand your thinking from three dimensions to four. Get two copies, just in case you lose one.”

Vinod Khosla: "The physics behind biology, cities, economics and companies.

Do they grow, scale and die by the same math equations? New insights that are enlightening and delightful."

Tobi Lutke: "Excellent book."

Book Synopsis

"Scale" by Geoffrey West is a groundbreaking exploration into the fundamental laws that govern the intricacies of our world, whether it be the size of a city, a company, or a biological organism.

Examining a vast array of phenomena, from the growth of cities to the metabolic rates of organisms, West reveals a universal pattern that emerges across diverse systems. This pattern, termed "scale," uncovers the surprising similarities between the growth and development of seemingly unrelated entities.

Through rigorous scientific analysis, West showcases how scaling laws can provide crucial insights into complex systems, predicting everything from the lifespan of a company to the pace of innovation. By understanding these underlying principles, scientists, economists, and decision-makers can gain a deep understanding of how our world functions and make more informed choices for the future.

Moreover, "Scale" challenges conventional wisdom, offering a fresh perspective on issues such as sustainability, urbanization, and economic growth. With thought-provoking insights and engaging anecdotes, West invites readers to reevaluate their perception of the world and grasp the profound implications of scale on our lives.

In this captivating synthesis of empirical research, theoretical frameworks, and practical applications, "Scale" promises to revolutionize our understanding of complexity and encourage new approaches to solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Explore More Books

See All
Deep Value
The Storm of Steel
Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
The Power Of Productivity
Polio
Tools and Weapons
Leading Without Authority
Secrets of Sand Hill Road
The Creature from Jekyll Island
The Company
Competing Against Time
Naked Statistics
Portfolios of the Poor
How Big Things Get Done
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit, 1850-1980
Hillbilly Elegy
The End of History and the Last Man
Hagakure
Other People's Money
Defending Beef
The Letters of William Godwin
Ignition!
Where Good Ideas Come From
The Spiritual Brain
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Power of Myth
Beyond Entrepreneurship
In Other Words
A Spy Among Friends
Follow The Money
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
The Invention of Air
The Fifth Season
Don't Make Me Think
The Diversity Myth
The Seventh Sense
Albert Einstein
Antifragile
The Soul of the World
Shantaram
Leonardo Da Vinci
A History of the Mind
Save The Cat!
I'd Like To Play Alone, Please
The Ethics of Money Production
How Trump Is Making Black America Great Again
Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets
My Brother Ron
Daughter of the Heartland
Powernomics
Empire
The Book of Why
Grass Farmers
Out of Many, One
American Buffalo
Democracy: The God That Failed
Blood and Thunder
Search Inside Yourself
Managing Oneself
Thinking In Bets
Take Back The Game
Beat the Wealth Management Hustle
Human Compatible
The Unquiet Grave
The Ride of a Lifetime
When Money Dies
Troubled
Bet The Farm
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
The Social Photo
The Light Of Other Days
The Jungle
Eisenhower in War and Peace
The Eden Project
The Road to Character
Founding Brothers
Free The Animal
In Defense of Food
Rise of the Dungeon Master
Outlive
The Civil Rights Era
Demons
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Facing Codependence
Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment
We Are The Nerds
Work Rules!
Insanely Simple
Blitzscaling
The River of Doubt
Tuxedo Park
The Silk Roads
A History of Knowledge
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Total Freedom
Hopping Over The Rabbit Hole
Code
The Master Switch
Surface Detail