The Unaccountability Machine
Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind
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The Unaccountability Machine
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Narrated by:
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Peter Dickson
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By:
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Dan Davies
About this listen
'A corporation, or a government department isn't a conscious being, but it is an artificial intelligence. It has the capability to take decisions which are completely distinct from the intentions of any of the people who compose it. And under stressful conditions, it can go stark raving mad.'
When we avoid taking a decision, what happens to it? In The Unaccountability Machine, Dan Davies examines why markets, institutions and even governments systematically generate outcomes that everyone involved claims not to want. He casts new light on the writing of Stafford Beer, a legendary economist who argued in the 1950s that we should regard organisations as artificial intelligences, capable of taking decisions that are distinct from the intentions of their members.
Management cybernetics was Beer's science of applying self-regulation in organisational settings, but it was largely ignored - with the result being the political and economic crises that that we see today. With his signature blend of cynicism and journalistic rigour, Davies looks at what's gone wrong, and what might have been, had the world listened to Stafford Beer when it had the chance.
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What listeners say about The Unaccountability Machine
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr D Alford
- 08-02-25
Not the easiest but very enlightening
A very interesting story. Stafford Beer comes across as quite a character and certainly more intelligent than I ( I got a bit lost in places…). I came away feeling a lot more upbeat about the future than when I started. Quite unusual in these days!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sinead Browne
- 30-10-24
food for thought
very well written and shaped arguements, enjoyed it a lot even though it's kinda a techy subject
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tobias F Lloyd
- 16-05-24
Fascinating, thought provoking and fun.
Fascinating exploration of a topic that was entirely new to me, but also one of the best and most readable analyses of what’s gone wrong with the economy and with economics. And beautifully, wittily written.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Thomas H. C. Brentnall
- 27-03-25
Interesting but confused
It's probably worth listening for the first part alone where the author explains the problems of accountability. After that it goes on a very long tangent on Cybernetics which takes up most of the book. The history of Cybernetics was interesting and probably gave an okay overview understanding of the subject but not really relevant to accountability. The part where Cybernetic theory is explained in more detail is seriously complicated and I highly doubt most of the people who recommend this book understood or even read this part of the book.
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