Kevin Kelly

In the following viewpoint, excerpted from his book Out of Control: The Rise of Neo-Biological Civilization, Kevin Kelly argues that the “Limits to Growth” simulation model that forecasts unsustainable global growth and an ecological collapse suffers from a number of flaws, including narrow and wrong assumptions, which undermine its accuracy. Kelly concludes that the model needs a complete overhaul because it lacks the requisite features—such as the ability to learn and to simulate growth—to make accurate forecasts. Kelly is the executive editor of Wired, a monthly magazine covering computers and telecommunications.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the web of “stocks” and “flows,” according to Kelly?
2. In the author’s opinion, why are locality and regionalism important features of...