Book Reviews › Character › The Square and the Tower
Honest review · Character
The Square and the Tower
by Niall Ferguson
History as the struggle between networks and hierarchies, from the printing press to Facebook. Sweeping and uneven.
Read it if…
you want a network lens on history.
See the book →
Skip it if…
you want rigor on network science.
Try instead: Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe →
Three things you will actually use
- Networks disrupt hierarchies.
- Hierarchies restore order.
- Watch the cycle.
Do this first
Read the chapters on the Reformation and printing.
Our verdict
Networks vs hierarchies.
See the book →
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