In the opening paragraphs of the Preface to “48 Hours to Chaos,” Engineer John D. Waterman relays to the reader the following information: “When I was a college student, I heard a professor say that civilization is always a mere forty-eight hours away from chaos. All an enemy would need to do is find a way to cut off the food supply, and society would be destroyed. After two days without food, all your friends and neighbors would revert to animalism, and the delicate fabric of society would be ripped to shreds along with all those people who are not the strongest and most vicious fighters. The image of that fate struck to my impressionable young mind, and grew older with it.” (p.9)
From this concept comes “48 Hours to Chaos,” which essentially is Waterman taking a look at how the world works from the vantage point of an engineer. After laying out a historical timeline of events, Waterman explores a gamut of areas including politics, religion, and science. You name it and it is probably discussed in this book.
I will admit that the author’s engineering background and the cover of the book had me convinced that the language used in the book was not going to be very layperson friendly. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find Waterman’s writing style to be concise and easy to understand. The information is presented in a way that it is relevant and interesting to the reader. He truly makes you think about a wide variety of topics. If you are looking for an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking look at the world, then I recommend giving “48 Hours to Chaos” a try.
48 Hours to Chaos: An Engineer Looks at Life and How the World Really Works
John D. Waterman
Dennett Ink (2011)
ISBN 9780983163602
Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebecca’s Reads (10/11)
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