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10 Fascinating Examples of Unintended Consequences: When Plans Go Hilariously (and Sometimes Disastrously) Wrong
Introduction:
We all love a good plan. But what happens when that meticulously crafted plan backfires spectacularly? The world is rife with examples of unintended consequences – instances where actions, seemingly benign or even well-intentioned, lead to unexpected and often surprising outcomes. This isn't just about academic theory; these are real-world events that shaped history, altered landscapes, and even redefined our understanding of cause and effect. This post dives into 10 fascinating examples, demonstrating the intricate web of interconnectedness that governs our world and highlighting the importance of foresight (even if it's often impossible to achieve). Prepare to be amazed, amused, and perhaps a little wiser about the unpredictable nature of life and the limitations of human planning.
1. The Leaky Lead Pipes and the Rise of Roman Plumbing:
The Romans, masters of engineering, developed impressive aqueduct systems to bring fresh water to their cities. However, their reliance on lead pipes, while effective in transporting water, led to widespread lead poisoning among the population, potentially contributing to the decline of the Roman Empire. This unintended consequence highlights the critical need for long-term health considerations when implementing large-scale infrastructure projects.
2. The Introduction of Kudzu to the Southern United States:
Brought to the United States in the late 19th century to combat soil erosion, Kudzu, a fast-growing vine, quickly escaped cultivation and became an invasive species, blanketing vast swathes of the Southern landscape. This seemingly simple attempt at environmental remediation had disastrous consequences for native plant life and biodiversity. This exemplifies how seemingly beneficial introductions can disrupt delicate ecosystems.
3. The DDT Pesticide Campaign and the Decline of Bird Populations:
While initially hailed as a miracle pesticide for controlling disease-carrying insects, DDT's widespread use had devastating unforeseen consequences. The chemical bioaccumulated in the food chain, severely impacting bird populations, particularly those of prey birds like eagles and falcons, through eggshell thinning. This stark example underscores the importance of comprehensive ecological impact assessments before deploying new technologies or chemicals.
4. The Great Leap Forward and the Chinese Famine:
Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward, a utopian attempt to rapidly modernize China's agriculture, led to one of the worst famines in history. Collectivization, forced changes to farming practices, and the destruction of traditional agricultural methods resulted in widespread starvation and the death of tens of millions. This tragically showcases the dangers of overly ambitious, centrally planned economic schemes that disregard local knowledge and individual needs.
5. The Prohibition Era in the United States:
Intended to curb alcohol consumption and related societal problems, Prohibition ironically led to a surge in organized crime, speakeasies, and the widespread availability of illegal and often dangerous alcohol. This demonstrates how strict legislation, when not carefully considered, can create a thriving black market and undermine the very goals it set out to achieve.
6. The Construction of the Aswan High Dam and the Rise of Schistosomiasis:
The Aswan High Dam, built to control the Nile's floods and generate hydroelectric power, had a significant unintended consequence: the increase of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease spread through freshwater snails. The dam's creation altered the river's flow, creating stagnant water ideal for the snails to thrive, leading to a spike in disease cases. This highlights the complex interplay between human development projects and public health.
7. The Invention of the Automobile and Urban Sprawl:
The invention of the automobile, while revolutionizing transportation, also contributed to urban sprawl, air pollution, and a decline in public transportation systems. The increased personal mobility allowed people to live further from their work, leading to a less densely populated, less walkable urban environment. This shows how technological advancements can have both positive and negative, far-reaching impacts on society.
8. The Industrial Revolution and Climate Change:
While bringing unprecedented economic growth, the Industrial Revolution also set in motion the chain of events leading to the climate crisis we face today. The burning of fossil fuels for energy, a cornerstone of industrial progress, released massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing global warming and its associated consequences. This underscores the long-term, global implications of seemingly localized actions.
9. The Development of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance:
The discovery and widespread use of antibiotics revolutionized medicine, saving countless lives. However, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a significant threat to public health. This illustrates the potential for even life-saving innovations to have unforeseen and dangerous long-term effects.
10. The Popularity of Social Media and the Spread of Misinformation:
Social media platforms, intended to connect people globally, have also become breeding grounds for the spread of misinformation and fake news. The ease with which false information can be disseminated and amplified online has had significant political and social consequences. This highlights the ethical challenges associated with technological advancements and their impact on information flow.
Article Outline:
Title: 10 Fascinating Examples of Unintended Consequences: When Plans Go Hilariously (and Sometimes Disastrously) Wrong
Introduction: Hooking the reader and providing an overview of unintended consequences.
Chapter 1-10: Each chapter details a specific example with historical context, the intended outcome, and the actual unintended consequences.
Conclusion: Summarizing the key takeaways and emphasizing the importance of considering potential unintended consequences in planning and decision-making.
(The content above fulfills the detailed explanation of each point in the outline.)
FAQs:
1. What is an unintended consequence? An unintended consequence is an outcome of an action that was not foreseen or intended by the actor.
2. Are all unintended consequences negative? No, some unintended consequences can be positive, although many are negative or neutral.
3. How can we better predict unintended consequences? Thorough planning, impact assessments, and considering multiple perspectives can help, but complete prediction is impossible.
4. Is it possible to avoid all unintended consequences? No, unforeseen circumstances and complex interactions make complete avoidance impossible.
5. What role does technology play in unintended consequences? Technological advancements often introduce new possibilities, but also new risks and potential unintended consequences.
6. How do unintended consequences impact policy-making? Understanding potential unintended consequences is crucial for effective policy-making, leading to more robust and nuanced approaches.
7. Are unintended consequences always easy to identify? No, they often emerge over time and may be subtle or difficult to trace back to their original cause.
8. What is the role of feedback loops in unintended consequences? Feedback loops can amplify or diminish the effects of unintended consequences, sometimes leading to cascading effects.
9. What is the ethical responsibility concerning unintended consequences? Actors have an ethical responsibility to consider and mitigate potential negative unintended consequences of their actions, as far as reasonably possible.
Related Articles:
1. The Butterfly Effect: How Small Actions Can Have Large Consequences: Explores the concept of chaos theory and its relevance to unintended consequences.
2. The Law of Unintended Consequences: A Primer: Provides a more in-depth theoretical exploration of the concept.
3. Case Studies in Unintended Consequences in Public Health: Focuses on examples specifically within the healthcare field.
4. The Perils of Technological Progress: Unintended Consequences of Innovation: Examines the specific risks associated with new technologies.
5. Environmental Impacts of Unintended Consequences: Details the ecological ramifications of unforeseen outcomes.
6. The Economics of Unintended Consequences: Explores the financial and economic repercussions of unintended outcomes.
7. Unintended Consequences in International Relations: Focuses on geopolitical examples and their impact on global stability.
8. Predicting the Unpredictable: Strategies for Mitigating Unintended Consequences: Discusses methods for reducing the likelihood of unforeseen problems.
9. The Social Costs of Unintended Consequences: Examines the broader societal impacts of unforeseen events.
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Unintended Consequences Edward Conard, 2012-05-07 In the aftermath of the Financial Crisis, many commonly held beliefs have emerged to explain its cause. Conventional wisdom blames Wall Street and the mortgage industry for using low down payments, teaser rates, and other predatory tactics to seduce unsuspecting home owners into assuming mortgages they couldn't afford. It blames average Americans for borrowing recklessly and spending too much. And it blames the tax policies and deregulatory environment of the Reagan and Bush administrations for encouraging reckless risk taking by wealthy individuals and financial institutions. But according to Unintended Consequences, the conventional wisdom masks the real causes of our economic disruption and puts us at risk of facing a slew of unintended-and potentially dangerous-consequences. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Drive Daniel H. Pink, 2011-04-05 The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm-shattering new way to think about motivation from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Why Things Bite Back Edward Tenner, 1997-09-02 In this perceptive and provocative look at everything from computer software that requires faster processors and more support staff to antibiotics that breed resistant strains of bacteria, Edward Tenner offers a virtual encyclopedia of what he calls revenge effects--the unintended consequences of the mechanical, chemical, biological, and medical forms of ingenuity that have been hallmarks of the progressive, improvement-obsessed modern age. Tenner shows why our confidence in technological solutions may be misplaced, and explores ways in which we can better survive in a world where despite technology's advances--and often because of them--reality is always gaining on us. For anyone hoping to understand the ways in which society and technology interact, Why Things Bite Back is indispensable reading. A bracing critique of technological determinism in both its utopian and dystopian forms...No one who wants to think clearly about our high-tech future can afford to ignore this book.--Jackson Lears, Wilson Quarterly |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: 97 Things About Ethics Everyone in Data Science Should Know Bill Franks, 2020-08-06 Most of the high-profile cases of real or perceived unethical activity in data science arenâ??t matters of bad intent. Rather, they occur because the ethics simply arenâ??t thought through well enough. Being ethical takes constant diligence, and in many situations identifying the right choice can be difficult. In this in-depth book, contributors from top companies in technology, finance, and other industries share experiences and lessons learned from collecting, managing, and analyzing data ethically. Data science professionals, managers, and tech leaders will gain a better understanding of ethics through powerful, real-world best practices. Articles include: Ethics Is Not a Binary Conceptâ??Tim Wilson How to Approach Ethical Transparencyâ??Rado Kotorov Unbiased ≠ Fairâ??Doug Hague Rules and Rationalityâ??Christof Wolf Brenner The Truth About AI Biasâ??Cassie Kozyrkov Cautionary Ethics Talesâ??Sherrill Hayes Fairness in the Age of Algorithmsâ??Anna Jacobson The Ethical Data Storytellerâ??Brent Dykes Introducing Ethicizeâ?¢, the Fully AI-Driven Cloud-Based Ethics Solution!â??Brian Oâ??Neill Be Careful with Decisions of the Heartâ??Hugh Watson Understanding Passive Versus Proactive Ethicsâ??Bill Schmarzo |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The Turnaway Study Diana Greene Foster, 2021-06 Now with a new afterword by the author--Back cover. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The Unintended Consequences of Technology Chris Ategeka, 2021-10-12 Discover the technologies and trends that threaten humanity and our planet--- and how we can rein them back in, together In The Unintended Consequences of Technology: Solutions, Breakthroughs and the Restart We Need, accomplished tech entrepreneur Chris Ategeka delivers an insightful and eye-opening exploration of the challenges and the opportunities at the intersection of technology, society and our planet. Detailing both positive and negative technology use cases that on one hand have made humanity better, but on the other hand pose a serious threat to individuals and groups across the world, the author demonstrates how to avoid allowing powerful technologies to overcome our better natures. In this book, you'll: Discover how the forces of capitalism, greed and the myths that surround meritocracy when combined with exponential technology pose an existential risk for humanity. Explore the many exponential technologies such as gene editing, 5G, behavior modification, cyberspace… that have lots of promise but also uncertainty. Consider the future of humanity we wish to collectively build, and whether we can rebuild a capacity for empathy at scale in our tech tools Perfect for founders, business leaders, executives, managers, Chief Technology Officers, and anyone else [i.e. all human beings] responsible for the use and proliferation of advanced technologies. The Unintended Consequences of Technology is a thought-provoking, must-read resource for those at the forefront of our new technological reality. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now Jaron Lanier, 2018-05-29 AS SEEN IN THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY THE SOCIAL DILEMMA A WIRED ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK THE CONSCIENCE OF SILICON VALLEY- GQ “Profound . . . Lanier shows the tactical value of appealing to the conscience of the individual. In the face of his earnest argument, I felt a piercing shame about my own presence on Facebook. I heeded his plea and deleted my account.” - Franklin Foer, The New York Times Book Review “Mixes prophetic wisdom with a simple practicality . . . Essential reading.” - The New York Times (Summer Reading Preview) You might have trouble imagining life without your social media accounts, but virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier insists that we’re better off without them. In Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, Lanier, who participates in no social media, offers powerful and personal reasons for all of us to leave these dangerous online platforms. Lanier’s reasons for freeing ourselves from social media’s poisonous grip include its tendency to bring out the worst in us, to make politics terrifying, to trick us with illusions of popularity and success, to twist our relationship with the truth, to disconnect us from other people even as we are more “connected” than ever, to rob us of our free will with relentless targeted ads. How can we remain autonomous in a world where we are under continual surveillance and are constantly being prodded by algorithms run by some of the richest corporations in history that have no way of making money other than being paid to manipulate our behavior? How could the benefits of social media possibly outweigh the catastrophic losses to our personal dignity, happiness, and freedom? Lanier remains a tech optimist, so while demonstrating the evil that rules social media business models today, he also envisions a humanistic setting for social networking that can direct us toward a richer and fuller way of living and connecting with our world. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy Tim Harford, 2017-07-06 Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service Who thought up paper money? How did the contraceptive pill change the face of the legal profession? Why was the horse collar as important for human progress as the steam engine? How did the humble spreadsheet turn the world of finance upside-down? The world economy defies comprehension. A continuously-changing system of immense complexity, it offers over ten billion distinct products and services, doubles in size every fifteen years, and links almost every one of the planet's seven billion people. It delivers astonishing luxury to hundreds of millions. It also leaves hundreds of millions behind, puts tremendous strains on the ecosystem, and has an alarming habit of stalling. Nobody is in charge of it. Indeed, no individual understands more than a fraction of what's going on. How can we make sense of this bewildering system on which our lives depend? From the tally-stick to Bitcoin, the canal lock to the jumbo jet, each invention in Tim Harford's fascinating new book has its own curious, surprising and memorable story, a vignette against a grand backdrop. Step by step, readers will start to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we might be going next. Hidden connections will be laid bare: how the barcode undermined family corner shops; why the gramophone widened inequality; how barbed wire shaped America. We'll meet the characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, or were ruined by them. We'll trace the economic principles that help to explain their transformative effects. And we'll ask what lessons we can learn to make wise use of future inventions, in a world where the pace of innovation will only accelerate. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies Richard B. McKenzie, 2008-04-17 This entertaining book seeks to unravel an array of pricing puzzles from the one captured in the book’s title to why so many prices end with 9 (as in $2.99 or $179). Along the way, the author explains how the 9/11 terrorists have, through the effects of their heinous acts on the relative prices of various modes of travel, killed more Americans since 9/11 than they killed that fateful day. He also explains how well-meaning efforts to spur the use of alternative, supposedly environmentally friendly fuels have starved millions of people around the world and given rise to the deforestation of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Games C. Thi Nguyen, 2020 Games are a unique art form. They do not just tell stories, nor are they simply conceptual art. They are the art form that works in the medium of agency. Game designers tell us who to be in games and what to care about; they designate the player's in-game abilities and motivations. In other words, designers create alternate agencies, and players submerge themselves in those agencies. Games let us explore alternate forms of agency. The fact that we play games demonstrates something remarkable about the nature of our own agency: we are capable of incredible fluidity with our own motivations and rationality. This volume presents a new theory of games which insists on games' unique value in human life. C. Thi Nguyen argues that games are an integral part of how we become mature, free people. Bridging aesthetics and practical reasoning, he gives an account of the special motivational structure involved in playing games. We can pursue goals, not for their own value, but for the sake of the struggle. Playing games involves a motivational inversion from normal life, and the fact that we can engage in this motivational inversion lets us use games to experience forms of agency we might never have developed on our own. Games, then, are a special medium for communication. They are the technology that allows us to write down and transmit forms of agency. Thus, the body of games forms a library of agency which we can use to help develop our freedom and autonomy. Nguyen also presents a new theory of the aesthetics of games. Games sculpt our practical activities, allowing us to experience the beauty of our own actions and reasoning. They are unlike traditional artworks in that they are designed to sculpt activities - and to promote their players' aesthetic appreciation of their own activity. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Scapegoat Katharine Quarmby, 2011-06-02 Every few months there's a shocking news story about the sustained, and often fatal, abuse of a disabled person. It's easy to write off such cases as bullying that got out of hand, terrible criminal anomalies or regrettable failures of the care system, but in fact they point to a more uncomfortable and fundamental truth about how our society treats its most unequal citizens. In Scapegoat, Katharine Quarmby looks behind the headlines to question and understand our discomfort with disabled people. Combining fascinating examples from history with tenacious investigation and powerful first person interviews, Scapegoat will change the way we think about disability - and about the changes we must make as a society to ensure that disabled people are seen as equal citizens, worthy of respect, not targets for taunting, torture and attack. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Grasslands and Climate Change David J. Gibson, Jonathan A. Newman, 2019-03-21 A comprehensive assessment of the effects of climate change on global grasslands and the mitigating role that ecologists can play. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success, 2015-07-23 Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Challenging the Innovation Paradigm Karl-Erik Sveiby, Pernilla Gripenberg, Beata Segercrantz, 2012-05-04 Innovation is almost always seen as a good thing. Challenging the Innovation Paradigm is a critical analysis of the innovation frenzy and contemporary innovation research. The one-sided focus on desirable effects of innovation misses many opportunities to reduce the undesirable consequences. Authors in this book show how systemic effects outside the innovating firms reduce the net benefits of innovation for individual employees, customers, as well as for society as a whole - also the innovators' own organizations. This book analyzes the dominant discourses that construct and reconstruct the assumptions and one-sidedness of contemporary innovation research (generally known as the pro-innovation bias) by focusing on consequences of innovation, distinguishing between intended and unintended as well as desirable and undesirable consequences. Contributors illustrate how both the discourses of innovation and the consequences of innovation permeate all levels of society: in policy discourse, in academic discourse, in research funding, in national innovation systems, in the financial sector, in organizational and work contexts, and in environmental pollution. The volume offers a critical, multidisciplinary, and multinational perspective on the topic, with authors from diverse academic fields examining and making comparisons between a variety of national contexts. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Machines Behaving Badly Toby Walsh, 2022-05-03 Artificial intelligence is an essential part of our lives – for better or worse. It can be used to influence what we buy, who gets shortlisted for a job and even how we vote. Without AI, medical technology wouldn’t have come so far, we’d still be getting lost on backroads in our GPS-free cars, and smartphones wouldn’t be so, well, smart. But as we continue to build more intelligent and autonomous machines, what impact will this have on humanity and the planet? Professor Toby Walsh, a world-leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, explores the ethical considerations and unexpected consequences AI poses – Is Alexa racist? Can robots have rights? What happens if a self-driving car kills someone? What limitations should we put on the use of facial recognition? Machines Behaving Badly is a thought-provoking look at the increasing human reliance on robotics and the decisions that need to be made now to ensure the future of AI is as a force for good, not evil. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Adverse Reactions Neil Pearce, 2013-11-01 Recounting the fenoterol epidemic—a major medical controversy that took place more than 15 years ago—this narrative explores the involvement of the asthma drug that caused numerous asthma deaths. Although the epidemic occurred in New Zealand, its shocking discoveries and subsequent consequences attracted worldwide attention in medical journals and conferences. Neil Pearce, the researcher who discovered that fenoteral was the cause of the epidemic, tells this personal story while raising concerns about drug safety internationally and analyzing the battle between money and science in medical research. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The Conundrum David Owen, 2012-02-07 Look out for David Owen's next book, Where the Water Goes. The Conundrum is a mind-changing manifesto about the environment, efficiency and the real path to sustainability. Hybrid cars, fast trains, compact florescent light bulbs, solar panels, carbon offsets: Everything you've been told about living green is wrong. The quest for a breakthrough battery or a 100 mpg car are dangerous fantasies. We are consumers, and we like to consume green and efficiently. But David Owen argues that our best intentions are still at cross purposes to our true goal - living sustainably and caring for our environment and the future of the planet. Efficiency, once considered the holy grail of our environmental problems, turns out to be part of the problem. Efforts to improve efficiency and increase sustainable development only exacerbate the problems they are meant to solve, more than negating the environmental gains. We have little trouble turning increases in efficiency into increases in consumption. David Owen's The Conundrum is an elegant nonfiction narrative filled with fascinating information and anecdotes takes you through the history of energy and the quest for efficiency. This is a book about the environment that will change how you look at the world. We should not be waiting for some geniuses to invent our way out of the energy and economic crisis we're in. We already have the technology and knowledge we need to live sustainably. But will we do it? That is the conundrum. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Unintended Consequences John Ross, 1996 A rising by the pro-gun lobby brings the government to its knees. The story begins when Henry Bowman, a geologist in Iowa, fires on federal agents, thinking they are terrorists. The conflict escalates, agents and congressmen die, and to bring peace the president agrees to repeal anti-gun laws and pardon the rebels. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Modern Day Mary Poppins Laura Bunyan, 2020-12-10 Through the use of in-depth qualitative interviews, Modern Day Mary Poppins: The Unintended Consequences of Nanny Work examines the experiences of and relationships between nannies and their employers. Laura Bunyan uncovers the depths of caring labor while exposing the complicated nature of the relationships formed in care work and their impact on work experiences. Modern Day Mary Poppins reveals that the hiring process for nannies, the personal relationships formed between families and nannies, and work experiences are not straightforward or one-dimensional. Bunyan sheds further light on the long-term implications of early gendered work experiences, and the ways they position women to perform precarious labor. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Unintended Consequences Dan Walsh, 2017-05-15 Jack and Rachel leave Culpepper for their long-awaited honeymoon trip, a driving tour through New England. On day three, they stop at a little bayside town in Cape Cod to visit Jack's grandmother. After he gets called away to handle an emergency, Rachel stays and listens as Jack's grandmother shares a remarkable story about how she and Jack's grandfather met in the early days of World War 2. It's a story filled with danger, decades-old family secrets, daring rescues and romance. Jack is named after his grandfather, and this story set the course and direction for Jack's life to the present day. After hearing it, Rachel is amazed that anyone survived. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Social Ecology in the Digital Age Daniel Stokols, 2018-01-02 Social Ecology in the Digital Age: Solving Complex Problems in a Globalized World provides a comprehensive overview of social ecological theory, research, and practice. Written by renowned expert Daniel Stokols, the book distills key principles from diverse strands of ecological science, offering a robust framework for transdisciplinary research and societal problem-solving. The existential challenges of the 21st Century - global climate change and climate-change denial, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, disease pandemics, inter-ethnic violence and the threat of nuclear war, cybercrime, the Digital Divide, and extreme poverty and income inequality confronting billions each day - cannot be understood and managed adequately from narrow disciplinary or political perspectives. Social Ecology in the Digital Age is grounded in scientific research but written in a personal and informal style from the vantage point of a former student, current teacher and scholar who has contributed over four decades to the field of social ecology. The book will be of interest to scholars, students, educators, government leaders and community practitioners working in several fields including social and human ecology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, criminology, law, education, biology, medicine, public health, earth system and sustainability science, geography, environmental design, urban planning, informatics, public policy and global governance. Winner of the 2018 Gerald L. Young Book Award from The Society for Human EcologyExemplifying the highest standards of scholarly work in the field of human ecology. https://societyforhumanecology.org/human-ecology-homepage/awards/gerald-l-young-book-award-in-human-ecology/ - The book traces historical origins and conceptual foundations of biological, human, and social ecology - Offers a new conceptual framework that brings together earlier approaches to social ecology and extends them in novel directions - Highlights the interrelations between four distinct but closely intertwined spheres of human environments: our natural, built, sociocultural, and virtual (cyber-based) surroundings - Spans local to global scales and individual, organizational, community, regional, and global levels of analysis - Applies core principles of social ecology to identify multi-level strategies for promoting personal and public health, resolving complex social problems, managing global environmental change, and creating resilient and sustainable communities - Underscores social ecology's vital importance for understanding and managing the environmental and political upheavals of the 21st Century - Highlights descriptive, analytic, and transformative (or moral) concerns of social ecology - Presents strategies for educating the next generation of social ecologists emphasizing transdisciplinary, team-based, translational, and transcultural approaches |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Explaining Social Behavior Jon Elster, 2015-07-30 A substantially revised edition of Jon Elster's critically acclaimed book exploring the nature of social behavior and the social sciences. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes, 2011-10-05 BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States National Research Council, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics, Policy and Global Affairs, Committee on Science, Technology, and Law, Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community, 2009-07-29 Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Modernity At Large Arjun Appadurai, 1996 |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: This Is Your Brain on Birth Control Sarah Hill, 2019-10-01 An eye-opening book that reveals crucial information every woman taking hormonal birth control should know This groundbreaking book sheds light on how hormonal birth control affects women--and the world around them--in ways we are just now beginning to understand. By allowing women to control their fertility, the birth control pill has revolutionized women's lives. Women are going to college, graduating, and entering the workforce in greater numbers than ever before, and there's good reason to believe that the birth control pill has a lot to do with this. But there's a lot more to the pill than meets the eye. Although women go on the pill for a small handful of targeted effects (pregnancy prevention and clearer skin, yay!), sex hormones can't work that way. Sex hormones impact the activities of billions of cells in the body at once, many of which are in the brain. There, they play a role in influencing attraction, sexual motivation, stress, hunger, eating patterns, emotion regulation, friendships, aggression, mood, learning, and more. This means that being on the birth control pill makes women a different version of themselves than when they are off of it. And this is a big deal. For instance, women on the pill have a dampened cortisol spike in response to stress. While this might sound great (no stress!), it can have negative implications for learning, memory, and mood. Additionally, because the pill influences who women are attracted to, being on the pill may inadvertently influence who women choose as partners, which can have important implications for their relationships once they go off it. Sometimes these changes are for the better . . . but other times, they're for the worse. By changing what women's brains do, the pill also has the ability to have cascading effects on everything and everyone that a woman encounters. This means that the reach of the pill extends far beyond women's own bodies, having a major impact on society and the world. This paradigm-shattering book provides an even-handed, science-based understanding of who women are, both on and off the pill. It will change the way that women think about their hormones and how they view themselves. It also serves as a rallying cry for women to demand more information from science about how their bodies and brains work and to advocate for better research. This book will help women make more informed decisions about their health, whether they're on the pill or off of it. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Grow the Pie Alex Edmans, 2020-03-26 Companies can both serve society and generate profit. This book shows how - based on rigorous evidence and an actionable framework. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: 501 Writing Prompts LearningExpress (Organization), 2018 This eBook features 501 sample writing prompts that are designed to help you improve your writing and gain the necessary writing skills needed to ace essay exams. Build your essay-writing confidence fast with 501 Writing Prompts! -- |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Society, Culture, and Technology: Ten Lessons for Educators, Developers, and Digital Scientists Richard E. Ferdig, 2018-04-26 This book provides ten important lessons for educators, developers, and digital scientists who are interested in the relationship between society, culture, and technology. The text provides an discussion of current and past research with the goal of introducing direct implications for practice. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Urban Informatics Wenzhong Shi, Michael F. Goodchild, Michael Batty, Mei-Po Kwan, Anshu Zhang, 2021-04-06 This open access book is the first to systematically introduce the principles of urban informatics and its application to every aspect of the city that involves its functioning, control, management, and future planning. It introduces new models and tools being developed to understand and implement these technologies that enable cities to function more efficiently – to become ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’. The smart city has quickly emerged as computers have become ever smaller to the point where they can be embedded into the very fabric of the city, as well as being central to new ways in which the population can communicate and act. When cities are wired in this way, they have the potential to become sentient and responsive, generating massive streams of ‘big’ data in real time as well as providing immense opportunities for extracting new forms of urban data through crowdsourcing. This book offers a comprehensive review of the methods that form the core of urban informatics from various kinds of urban remote sensing to new approaches to machine learning and statistical modelling. It provides a detailed technical introduction to the wide array of tools information scientists need to develop the key urban analytics that are fundamental to learning about the smart city, and it outlines ways in which these tools can be used to inform design and policy so that cities can become more efficient with a greater concern for environment and equity. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Locke in America Jerome Huyler, 1995 An account of the link between Locke's thought and the American Founding. The author argues that previous writers have misread Locke's influence on the Founders: he portrays the philosopher as a moderate 17th-century moralist advocating an individualism that fits well with classic republicanism. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The 9.9 Percent Matthew Stewart, 2021-10-12 A “brilliant” (The Washington Post), “clear-eyed and incisive” (The New Republic) analysis of how the wealthiest group in American society is making life miserable for everyone—including themselves. In 21st-century America, the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution have walked away with the big prizes even while the bottom 90% have lost ground. What’s left of the American Dream has taken refuge in the 9.9% that lies just below the tip of extreme wealth. Collectively, the members of this group control more than half of the wealth in the country—and they are doing whatever it takes to hang on to their piece of the action in an increasingly unjust system. They log insane hours at the office and then turn their leisure time into an excuse for more career-building, even as they rely on an underpaid servant class to power their economic success and satisfy their personal needs. They have segregated themselves into zip codes designed to exclude as many people as possible. They have made fitness a national obsession even as swaths of the population lose healthcare and grow sicker. They have created an unprecedented demand for admission to elite schools and helped to fuel the dramatic cost of higher education. They channel their political energy into symbolic conflicts over identity in order to avoid acknowledging the economic roots of their privilege. And they have created an ethos of “merit” to justify their advantages. They are all around us. In fact, they are us—or what we are supposed to want to be. In this “captivating account” (Robert D. Putnam, author of Bowling Alone), Matthew Stewart argues that a new aristocracy is emerging in American society and it is repeating the mistakes of history. It is entrenching inequality, warping our culture, eroding democracy, and transforming an abundant economy into a source of misery. He calls for a regrounding of American culture and politics on a foundation closer to the original promise of America. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Sociological Ambivalence and Other Essays Robert King Merton, 1976 |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Monsters Edward Regis, 2015-09-08 Oh, the humanity! Radio reporter Herbert Morrison's words on witnessing the destruction of the Hindenburg are etched in our collective memory. Yet, while the Hindenburg -- like the Titanic -- is a symbol of the technological hubris of a bygone era, we seem to have forgotten the lessons that can be learned from the infamous 1937 zeppelin disaster. Zeppelins were steerable balloons of highly flammable, explosive gas, but the sheer magic of seeing one of these behemoths afloat in the sky cast an irresistible spell over all those who saw them. In Monsters, Ed Regis explores the question of how a technology now so completely invalidated (and so fundamentally unsafe) ever managed to reach the high-risk level of development that it did. Through the story of the zeppelin's development, Regis examines the perils of what he calls pathological technologies -- inventions whose sizeable risks are routinely minimized as a result of their almost mystical allure. Such foolishness is not limited to the industrial age: newer examples of pathological technologies include the US government's planned use of hydrogen bombs for large-scale geoengineering projects; the phenomenally risky, expensive, and ultimately abandoned Superconducting Super Collider; and the exotic interstellar propulsion systems proposed for DARPA's present-day 100 Year Starship project. In case after case, the romantic appeal of foolishly ambitious technologies has blinded us to their shortcomings, dangers, and costs. Both a history of technological folly and a powerful cautionary tale for future technologies and other grandiose schemes, Monsters is essential reading for experts and citizens hoping to see new technologies through clear eyes. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, 2011-05-01 The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, published by the U.S. Government and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in early 2011, is the official government report on the United States financial collapse and the review of major financial institutions that bankrupted and failed, or would have without help from the government. The commission and the report were implemented after Congress passed an act in 2009 to review and prevent fraudulent activity. The report details, among other things, the periods before, during, and after the crisis, what led up to it, and analyses of subprime mortgage lending, credit expansion and banking policies, the collapse of companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the federal bailouts of Lehman and AIG. It also discusses the aftermath of the fallout and our current state. This report should be of interest to anyone concerned about the financial situation in the U.S. and around the world.THE FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION is an independent, bi-partisan, government-appointed panel of 10 people that was created to examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States. It was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. The commission consisted of private citizens with expertise in economics and finance, banking, housing, market regulation, and consumer protection. They examined and reported on the collapse of major financial institutions that failed or would have failed if not for exceptional assistance from the government.News Dissector DANNY SCHECHTER is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker. He has been reporting on economic crises since the 1980's when he was with ABC News. His film In Debt We Trust warned of the economic meltdown in 2006. He has since written three books on the subject including Plunder: Investigating Our Economic Calamity (Cosimo Books, 2008), and The Crime Of Our Time: Why Wall Street Is Not Too Big to Jail (Disinfo Books, 2011), a companion to his latest film Plunder The Crime Of Our Time. He can be reached online at www.newsdissector.com. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Citizen Scientist Mary Ellen Hannibal, 2017-08-22 A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2016: “Intelligent and impassioned, Citizen Scientist is essential reading for anyone interested in the natural world.” Award-winning writer Mary Ellen Hannibal has long reported on scientists’ efforts to protect vanishing species, but it was only through citizen science that she found she could take action herself. As she wades into tide pools, spots hawks, and scours mountains, she discovers the power of the heroic volunteers who are helping scientists measure—and even slow—today’s unprecedented mass extinction. Citizen science may be the future of large-scale field research—and our planet’s last, best hope. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Divided in Unity Andreas Glaeser, 2000-02 In Divided in Unity, Andreas Glaeser examines why east and west Germans continue to feel deeply divided and develops an analytical theory of identity formation, which offers a middle ground between modernist theories of a unitary self and postmodernist theories of a fragmented self.--BOOK JACKET. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: The 2030 Spike Colin Mason, 2013-06-17 The clock is relentlessly ticking! Our world teeters on a knife-edge between a peaceful and prosperous future for all, and a dark winter of death and destruction that threatens to smother the light of civilization. Within 30 years, in the 2030 decade, six powerful 'drivers' will converge with unprecedented force in a statistical spike that could tear humanity apart and plunge the world into a new Dark Age. Depleted fuel supplies, massive population growth, poverty, global climate change, famine, growing water shortages and international lawlessness are on a crash course with potentially catastrophic consequences. In the face of both doomsaying and denial over the state of our world, Colin Mason cuts through the rhetoric and reams of conflicting data to muster the evidence to illustrate a broad picture of the world as it is, and our possible futures. Ultimately his message is clear; we must act decisively, collectively and immediately to alter the trajectory of humanity away from catastrophe. Offering over 100 priorities for immediate action, The 2030 Spike serves as a guidebook for humanity through the treacherous minefields and wastelands ahead to a bright, peaceful and prosperous future in which all humans have the opportunity to thrive and build a better civilization. This book is powerful and essential reading for all people concerned with the future of humanity and planet earth. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Committee on Pain Management and Regulatory Strategies to Address Prescription Opioid Abuse, 2017-09-28 Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring. |
| 10 fascinating examples of unintended consequences: Legacies Alejandro Portes, Rube ́n G. Rumbaut, 2001-05-31 One out of five Americans, more than 55 million people, are first-or second-generation immigrants. This landmark study, the most comprehensive to date, probes all aspects of the new immigrant second generation's lives, exploring their immense potential to transform American society for better or worse. Whether this new generation reinvigorates the nation or deepens its social problems depends on the social and economic trajectories of this still young population. In Legacies, Alejandro Portes and Rubén G. Rumbaut—two of the leading figures in the field—provide a close look at this rising second generation, including their patterns of acculturation, family and school life, language, identity, experiences of discrimination, self-esteem, ambition, and achievement. Based on the largest research study of its kind, Legacies combines vivid vignettes with a wealth of survey and school data. Accessible, engaging, and indispensable for any consideration of the changing face of American society, this book presents a wide range of real-life stories of immigrant families—from Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Philippines, China, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam—now living in Miami and San Diego, two of the areas most heavily affected by the new immigration. The authors explore the world of second-generation youth, looking at patterns of parent-child conflict and cohesion within immigrant families, the role of peer groups and school subcultures, the factors that affect the children's academic achievement, and much more. A companion volume to Legacies, entitled Ethnicities: Children of Immigrants in America, was published by California in Fall 2001. Edited by the authors of Legacies, this book will bring together some of the country's leading scholars of immigration and ethnicity to provide a close look at this rising second generation. A Copublication with the Russell Sage Foundation |
