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Alex Moser

Emergence 362

Prof. Paul Grobstein

March 25, 2007

Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point is a discussion of epidemics and how they begin. Gladwell presents three rules defining his concept of a tipping point, essentially a threshold at which a trend will “tip” and become an epidemic. The theory as argued is applicable to all sorts of epidemics, whether syphilis, fashion trends or crime. While written to be accessible and keep interest, The Tipping Point fails to present a truly cohesive theory largely because it relies so heavily on anecdotal evidence and implied relationships. I will present the rules of the theory and discuss the evidence Gladwell presents to explicate the strengths and weaknesses of this book.