Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation

When it was originally published in 1973, George T Ainsworth- Land's Grow or Die was met with both acclaim and controversy. Today, Ainsworth-Land's 'theory of transformation', which he introduced in Grow or Die has become a cornerstone in the strategic planning and organizational transformation of major corporations. This new edition of Grow or Die re-introduces the author's classic theory. At the root of the principle of transformation lies a single concept: growth - the most basic and universal of drives through which, says Ainsworth-Land, all biological, physical, chemical, psychological and cultural processes are intrinsically equivalent. Thus the author claims, we manifest this universal drive on levels extrinsically different from, but intrinsically the same as, our evolutionary ancestors - on levels reaching fully across the continuum of human activity today. The author applies his theory to a wide range of unexpected and revealing paradoxes of human behavior as well. How we can indulge in both self-sacrifice and sadism, seek both security and danger, produce both humor and ridicule, create both beauty and ugliness, be capable of both love and hate - these apparent contradictions are rationalized with amazing ease in terms of transformation theory and the concept of universal growth. And, in an intriguing examination of the problems of evolution, Ainsworth-Land explains why species don't adapt to their environments nearly so much as they adapt their environments to themselves.