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
Hackers
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Trial
Secrets of Sand Hill Road
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen
We Wish To Inform You
AOL.com
A History of Knowledge
Flow
Powerful
The Devil’s Financial Dictionary
The Pattern Seekers
Virtual Society
End of Illness
Artemis
The Female Brain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Iliad
The Breakthrough
Energy Myths and Realities
Civilisation
Apollo's Arrow
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
Am I Being Too Subtle?
Tao of Philosophy
Rick and Morty Book One
The Creature from Jekyll Island
The (Mis)Behavior of Markets
The Virgin Suicides
The Fountainhead
SuperFreakonomics
The 4 Hour Work Week
True Believer
For the Love of the Land
Clearing The Air
Atomic Habits
The Two-Parent Privelege
Public Opinion
The Information
The Golden Trade of the Moors
The Attention Merchants
The Bed of Procrustes
The World Without Us
But What If We're Wrong?
Capital Returns
The Capitalist Manifesto
Fooling Some of the People All of the Time
The Jordan Rules
The Gun Seller
Prepared
Fermat's Enigma
The Healing Journey
I Am Not a Tractor
Farmer's Progress
Reamde
The Second Mountain
The Third Wave
Who Really Matters
The Right Call
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Think and Grow Rich
The Great Escape
Science and Method
ANSI Common Lisp
It's Earnings That Count
The Outsiders
Trump
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Hit Men
When The Heavens Went on Sale
The Making of a Manager
The Dice Man
The Tiger
From Headless Chicken to Golden Goose
An Unquiet Mind
Explaining Social Behavior
Savage News
No Bull
The 4 Hour Body
The Fear Factor
The Middleman
The Age of the Unthinkable
Flu
Hackers & Painters
Folk Devils and Moral Panics
The Fourth Turning is Here
The 80/20 Principle
Hoover Dam
Dancing In The Glory Of Monsters
The Time Machine
Red Star Over The Pacific
Negotiating The Impossible
The Jungle Book
The Great Convergence
Virus of the Mind
Drunk Tank Pink
Trader Vic
Liberty Under Seige
The Man Who Invented Fidel