The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
Language: English
Published by Penguin Books, 2019
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: Goodwill of Silicon Valley, SAN JOSE, CA, U.S.A.Goodwill of Silicon Valley
AbeBooks seller since June 28, 2024
Condition: Used - Good
£ 6.58
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in Good condition! Any other included accessories are also in Good condition showing use. Use can include some highlighting and writing, page and cover creases as well as other types visible wear.
Seller Inventory # GWSVV.0735222932.G
- Title
- The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
- Author
- Ferguson, Niall
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- Publication year
- 2019
- Condition
- good
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0735222932
- ISBN 13
- 9780735222939
A brilliant recasting of the turning points in world history, including the one we're living through, as a collision between old power hierarchies and new social networks.
"Captivating and compelling." --The New York Times
"Niall Ferguson has again written a brilliant book...In 400 pages you will have restocked your mind. Do it." --The Wall Street Journal
"The Square and the Tower, in addition to being provocative history, may prove to be a bellwether work of the Internet Age." --Christian Science Monitor
Most history is hierarchical: it's about emperors, presidents, prime ministers and field marshals. It's about states, armies and corporations. It's about orders from on high. Even history "from below" is often about trade unions and workers' parties. But what if that's simply because hierarchical institutions create the archives that historians rely on? What if we are missing the informal, less well documented social networks that are the true sources of power and drivers of change?
The 21st century has been hailed as the Age of Networks. However, in The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson argues that networks have always been with us, from the structure of the brain to the food chain, from the family tree to freemasonry. Throughout history, hierarchies housed in high towers have claimed to rule, but often real power has resided in the networks in the town square below. For it is networks that tend to innovate. And it is through networks that revolutionary ideas can contagiously spread. Just because conspiracy theorists like to fantasize about such networks doesn't mean they are not real.
From the cults of ancient Rome to the dynasties of the Renaissance, from the founding fathers to Facebook, The Square and the Tower tells the story of the rise, fall and rise of networks, and shows how network theory--concepts such as clustering, degrees of separation, weak ties, contagions and phase transitions--can transform our understanding of both the past and the present.
Just as The Ascent of Money put Wall Street into historical perspective, so The Square and the Tower does the same for Silicon Valley. And it offers a bold prediction about which hierarchies will withstand this latest wave of network disruption--and which will be toppled.
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Goodwill of Silicon Valley
SAN JOSE, CA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since June 28, 2024
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Goodwill of Silicon Valley’s mission is to support our employees, our customers, and people with challenging barriers to employment; to raise their standard of living and improve their lives through our services and social enterprise. Founded in Santa Clara County in 1928, Goodwill of Silicon Valley is dedicated to improving employment opportunities, increasing standards of living, providing economic independence, and restoring our clients’ sense of self-worth. We do this through workforce creation, vocational training, and environmental stewardship. With 18 retail stores, an online store, an extensive reuse/recycling operation, and our Contract Services division, we help people overcome barriers to employment, build sustainable livelihoods, and transform their lives and communities.…
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Goodwill of Silicon Valley’s mission is to support our employees, our customers, and people with challenging barriers to employment; to raise their standard of living and improve their lives through our services and social enterprise.
Founded in Santa Clara County, California, USA in 1928, Goodwill of Silicon Valley is dedicated to improving employment opportunities, increasing standards of living, providing economic independence, and restoring our clients’ sense of self-worth. We do this through workforce creation, vocational training, and environmental stewardship. With 18 retail stores, an online store, an extensive reuse/recycling operation, and our Contract Services division, we help people overcome barriers to employment, build sustainable livelihoods, and transform their lives and communities.
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