Rethinking Systems: A Regenerative Reading List for Systems Change, DAO Infrastructure & New Governance Models
We are living in an era that demands not only systemic change, but systemic awareness. As we navigate the collapse of outdated institutions and the rise of new organizing logics, we must deepen our understanding of complexity, interdependence, and long-term resilience.
This curated reading list brings together foundational texts and visionary frameworks from systems theory, regenerative design, decentralized governance, and socio-political philosophy. From Donella Meadows' timeless wisdom to cutting-edge insights on DAOs and digital coordination, each book offers tools for reimagining our cultural, ecological, and economic systems.
Whether you're a regenerative designer, civic technologist, DAO builder, or systems thinker-in-training, these works are essential companions on the path toward a more life-affirming and equitable future.
1. Thinking in Systems – Donella Meadows
A classic in the field of systems thinking, Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems equips readers with the conceptual tools to understand feedback loops, leverage points, and the unseen structures that shape our world. Grounded in environmental and ecological insights, Meadows demystifies complexity and offers pragmatic guidance for creating lasting change. The book is an accessible yet profound guide for anyone serious about shifting paradigms, addressing root causes, and cultivating systems literacy.
2. Gandhi’s Political Philosophy – Bhikhu Parekh
Bhikhu Parekh’s exploration of Gandhi’s political philosophy presents an alternative to dominant Western political thought by centering ethics, decentralization, and community-driven self-rule. With a deep reverence for simplicity, self-discipline, and nonviolent resistance, Gandhi’s vision resonates with regenerative and post-capitalist movements today. Parekh masterfully unpacks the philosophical infrastructure behind Gandhi’s ideas, offering timeless relevance for those building inclusive, values-driven systems outside the nation-state model.
3. Designing Regenerative Cultures – Daniel Christian Wahl
Daniel Christian Wahl’s Designing Regenerative Cultures is both a call to action and a practical framework for transitioning from sustainability to regeneration. Drawing from biomimicry, permaculture, systems thinking, and indigenous knowledge, Wahl explores how to co-create cultures that are life-enhancing by design. This book challenges linear, mechanistic worldviews and invites readers into a holistic mindset, one that integrates ecology, economy, and consciousness to foster thriving bioregional futures.
4. Regenesis – George Monbiot
In Regenesis, journalist and activist George Monbiot tackles the broken global food system with rigorous research and visionary alternatives. He makes the case for regenerative agriculture, soil health, and decentralized food technologies that can restore ecosystems and democratize nourishment. This book exemplifies systems thinking applied to one of our most urgent crises, reminding us that changing how we grow food could change everything else.
5. The Dawn of Everything – David Graeber & David Wengrow
Anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow dismantle the myth of a linear human evolution from “primitive” to “civilized” in The Dawn of Everything. Through a sweeping re-examination of history, they reveal that humans have long experimented with various governance models, seasonal states, and cooperative networks. The book is a treasure trove of evidence for alternative futures rooted in ancestral precedents, offering deep implications for decentralized infrastructure and community sovereignty.
6. The Systems View of Life – Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi
This expansive work by Fritjof Capra and Pier Luigi Luisi weaves together biology, complexity science, ecology, and consciousness studies into a unified theory of living systems. The Systems View of Life provides an essential intellectual foundation for understanding how life, sustainability, and emergence operate across scales. A deeply integrative text, it bridges science and philosophy to guide the transition from mechanistic reductionism to holistic, living systems awareness.
7. Radical Markets – Eric A. Posner & E. Glen Weyl
Radical Markets explores provocative ideas that challenge conventional economic structures, including data-as-labor, quadratic voting, and common ownership self-assessed taxes. Though not without critique, the book presents bold proposals for decentralizing power and reconfiguring markets to be more participatory and just. For those designing token economies, civic tech, or DAO-based governance systems, these frameworks offer both inspiration and tension points worthy of deep engagement.
8. The DAO of DAOs – Metagov Collective
Written by members of the Metagovernance Project, The DAO of DAOs is a foundational zine and open-access text exploring how decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) govern themselves, and could evolve. It blends governance theory, digital coordination tools, and the sociology of online communities to reflect on the meta-design of governance itself. With practical case studies and theoretical provocations, it’s essential reading for those building or studying the next generation of human coordination infrastructures.
