Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It

by David Fleming

Often described as his life's work, Fleming worked on this non-fiction book for over thirty years. It was completed just before his death and published posthumously on the 7th of July 2011.

Many reviewers have found it hard to categorise, with John Thackara describing it as "half encyclopedia, half commonplace book, half a secular bible, half survival guide, half ... yes, that’s a lot of halves, but ... I have never encountered a book that is so hard to characterise yet so hard, despite its weight, to put down ... It’s an incredibly nourishing cultural and scientific treasure trove."

Lean Logic explores themes including ethics, science, relationships, culture, policy, art and history, but unconventionally for a book of such varied themes, it is structured in dictionary format, with each entry followed by a list of other related entries. This allows Fleming to highlight connections that might otherwise be overlooked without detracting from his in-depth exploration of each theme, and also has the effect of allowing the reader to follow the narrative of their choice as they explore Fleming's thoughts and research on strategies for the future.

His vision of the future is challenging, as he sees in the present "an economy that is destroying the very foundations on which it depends" (ecologically, economically and culturally), but many reviewers have commented on the positive spirit and humour that suffuse its pages as Fleming describes strategies and principles for a satisfying, culturally rich future in such difficult circumstances.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Sustainability, Economics

736 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2016

Reviews

[Greyfell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads wants to know the date I finished this book, but I'm not sure I ever will. It's just not one of those you read from start to finish. More a 'choose your own adventure' book. An uncategorizable one at that. I thought at least I knew that it was non-fiction, but then realized it's sort of fiction too - laying out a more beautiful future that's somehow within grasp.

I really don't know how to describe this book, but maybe that's because it's one of those rare books that breaks out from the categories we're used to? Maybe it will birth a whole genre, or maybe it's part of a genre already that I've never heard of?

Either way, it's a beautifully-written (and illustrated) inspiration of a book, by turns funny and playful and enlightening and educational. To say that it's shifting my perspective is an understatement - it's making me think completely anew about what's important in society and in life. I wish the author were still alive.

I can only encourage you to read his work and come back here and let us all know if you can figure out how to categorize it!

[Raymond Wharton · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Fleming my be my favorite mind of the lat century. The man is a true philosopher of gifted insight, balanced with a heart for the read subtle details of live experience. This is a book to be chearished, and it cannot truely be finished, every entry comes alive in a new light on and give day it is read. This book more than any other on its shelf is a treasure from our civilization to the future, help carry it on, please.

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult book to review. How do you review a dictionary? Anyway, whatever topic comes to your mind (food, eroticism, currency, place, etc.) just flip to that page and give the entry a read, it will leave you thinking. Certainly one of the best books I own and one I will be returning to many more times.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Densely packed with good information. The drawbacks: the format makes it cumbersome (at best) to read and repetitive.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found "Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It" to be an interesting quirky book.
A great deal of the information that was provided I was already aware of. However, I read non-fiction reference ninety-nine percent of the time though.

[Brandon]

While a great many of his observations resonate with me, the book needs serious organizational work.