Book Review: Wicked problems — what can we do in this time of collapse?

📖 This article is featured in illuminem’s Curated Booklist: the influential books shaping the world sustainability debate

Title: Wicked Problems: What Can We Do in This Time of Collapse?
Author: Christian Sarkar and Philip Kotler
Contributing Authors: ClimateGPT
Publisher: Idea Bite Press
Publication: March 2025
Sustainability topics: Biodiversity 🌳, Social Responsibility 🤝

In Wicked Problems: What Possible Actions Are Available During This Era of Collapse?, the authors Christian Sarkar and Philip Kotler — joined by the AI engine ClimateGPT — undertake a powerful intellectual and moral campaign to dismantle the entrenched stagnation in today’s global system. 

They confront the reader with a dire yet urgent challenge: We must move beyond recognising the world's “wicked problems” to understanding our systematic and intentional failures in addressing them. The book announces its tone through a sarcastic endorsement of censorship in its title (“Do the right thing—ban it today!”). This book challenges both the timid reader and anyone who prefers conventional business practices. Blending advocacy with systems critique, it combines together elements of activism and scholarly research with provocative arguments which are essential in our fast-paced world where slow and polite progress is no longer an option. 

A dialectic of collapse and regeneration 

The premise of Wicked Problems is familiar to systems thinkers and those embedded in the regenerative sustainability discourse: Today's global situation can be described as either a "polycrisis" or the more concerning "permacrisis" since climate breakdown, inequality, war, mass migration, corruption, and institutional decay operate together as interconnected challenges. A mutually reinforcing network of co-evolving negative feedback loops forms between these phenomena to create a system that risks triggering global civilisation collapse. 

Sarkar and Kotler extend their analysis beyond simply listing crises. The authors attribute the crisis situation to a deficiency in collective agency. Drawing from Karl Gunnar Myrdal’s theory of cumulative causation and Donella Meadows’ leverage point framework, the authors argue that the inability to resolve our most urgent issues stems from two converging deficits: Our inability to solve urgent problems originates from system design breakdowns combined with limited moral creativity. In short: Our current actions reflect failure while our thinking fails to match the complexity and significance of today's global challenges. 

Mapping wickedness

At the core of this publication lies the development of the “Wicked7”, which identifies seven interconnected problem areas as its fundamental structure. 

1. The death of nature 

2. Inequality 

3. Hate & conflict 

4. Power & corruption 

5. Work, media, and technology 

6. Health and livelihood 

7. Population and migration

With their selection of seven concepts the authors maintain clarity while capturing the complexity of global dysfunction. It’s a strategic move: The authors recognise the complicated nature of the issues yet manage to avoid becoming paralysed by it. The team analyses each "wicked" category by studying its connected cycles and effects while identifying societal deficiencies through visual causal loops and systemic diagrams hosted on their platforms (Wicked7.org and RegenerativeMarketing.org). This approach forms a logical intellectual structure which serves as an educational framework for beginners learning about systems thinking. But more importantly, it foregrounds a political claim: Wicked problems remain unsolved not because of technical barriers but because political and economic systems exist to uphold the status quo. 

The system is the problem

The core argument throughout the book emerges as the critical point that the system itself constitutes the problem. The authors identify neoliberal deregulated extractive capitalism as the foundational structure that perpetuates and sustains all seven wicked problems. They are not alone in this perspective. The criticism reflects theoretical analyses from ecological economics experts, degrowth proponents and postcolonial environmental thinkers. 

Sarkar and Kotler introduce marketing-savvy rhetorical urgency into their work. Through their understanding of narrative framing's role in public discourse and Kotler's status as modern marketing's pioneer, they apply this knowledge to confront prevailing growth models alongside consumption habits and technocratic approaches. 

Wicked ignorance: A systemic epistemology of failure

One of the key novel ideas presented in the book is “wicked ignorance” which should be adopted more widely within academic circles. This term represents the perilous combination of cognitive bias together with ideological rigidity and institutional disinterest. The authors explain that this combination of cognitive bias alongside institutional disregard causes experts' systemic maps and warnings to be ignored. Political actors exploit this phenomenon to create skepticism about election results and climate science as demonstrated through ongoing denialism. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s totalitarianism study and Carl Sagan’s advocacy for critical thinking, the authors expose serious flaws that affect both institutional structures and the collective understanding of knowledge. 

They also present the idea that we participate in generating our ignorance which leads to our downfall rather than being only victims of adverse circumstances. The book maintains that societal collapse remains preventable since it becomes probable when people fail to implement change. It rejects techno-optimism and market-based solutions as the basis for its call to action. 

The book delivers a powerful critique of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which it labels as politically acceptable yet structurally ineffective because they fail to address fundamental problems like power concentration and systemic corruption. As they propose a fundamental transformation from ego-systems to eco-systems (based on insights from Scharmer and Kaufer) together with the shift from extractive capitalism to regenerative cultures, the authors build upon ideas from Arturo Escobar, Donella Meadows, and Manfred Max-Neef by emphasising actionable frameworks to make their work distinct. Their methodology includes exploration guidelines for wicked problems alongside systems mapping techniques and digital tools like ClimateGPT to identify leverage points. AI represents both a prospective solution and simultaneously introduces itself as a new complex challenge. This layered perspective stands out amidst discussions that usually oscillate between either unwavering optimism or dread. 

Where the argument wobbles

While the Wicked 7 Framework possesses notable strengths it also features some weaknesses. Its polemical tone occasionally damages the work’s analytical credibility. The phrase “Shooting CEOs isn’t the answer” approaches irresponsibility through its rhetorical flourish despite its intended satirical critique of revolutionary fantasies. The book uses numerous quotes from Einstein, Borges, Arendt, and Gil Scott-Heron which though thematically appropriate sometimes serve as framework rather than genuine content. It presents itself as a “work in progress” but its dependence on external resources for detailed case studies and systems maps (such as Wicked7.org) might disappoint readers who wish to find concrete examples in the printed text. The book's intention to combine elements of a handbook with manifesto elements and a data repository leads to structural inconsistencies. The authors could have gained more clarity by better distinguishing between the book's various functions. 

A confrontational call to conscience

Wicked Problems succeeds by asking difficult questions which challenge us to seek answers rather than providing solutions directly. This publication serves as a guide for those seeking transformative change while challenging corporate leaders and reflecting on the shortcomings of both liberal democracies and market fundamentalism. This book serves as a necessary but uncomfortable diversion for business executives who focus on shareholder value and MBA students accustomed to solving problems through linear design thinking. We need to reevaluate our actions and beliefs while understanding how these beliefs support harmful systems. 

Sarkar and Kotler leave us with a simple but devastating observation: The declaration that "no one will arrive to rescue us" presents a gloomy perspective. While performative commitments and ESG platitudes dominate our world it becomes the most hopeful statement to make because it shows us that the power to act comes from people themselves rather than distant institutions. Wicked Problems: How should we respond to the current period of societal breakdown? is not a comforting book. The book stands as a criticism and also presents a method and extends an invitation to its readers. The effectiveness of this book's message depends on whether its intended audience will read it with due seriousness. But it deserves to be. 

This review is part of illuminem’s Curated Booklist: the influential books shaping the sustainability debate. illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting exclusive insights from the world’s largest network of sustainability thought leaders. Their views expressed do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

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