Anna Karenina principle

English Etymology Referring to Leo Tolstoy's 1877 novel Anna Karenina, which begins: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Popularized by American scientist Jared Diamond (born 1937) in his 1997 non-fiction book Guns, Germs, and Steel, in which he uses it to illustrate why so few wild animals have been successfully domesticated throughout history. Proper noun A notion stating that the success of an endeavor depends upon the fulfilment of several essential conditions, and a deficiency in any one of these factors dooms the endeavor to failure, meaning there are many different ways to fail. en 2011-07-15 Cary L Cooper; Stephen Wood Happiness at work: why it counts w:The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/jul/15/happiness-work-why-counts While there may be some truth in the Anna Karenina principle that all happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, we increasingly have a better understanding of what makes for unhappiness and stress in the workplace. en 2022-06-22 Gearoid Reidy The Fertility Crisis Started in Japan, But It Won’t Stay There w:The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-fertility-crisis-started-in-japan-butit-wont-stay-there/2022/06/21/8c343abe-f19d-11ec-ac16-8fbf7194cd78_story.html Japan is often convinced that its economic malaise since the 1980s is the root of its ills, but that link seems less than clear. It’s a variation on the Anna Karenina principle: All fertile societies are alike; each infertile society is infertile in its own way. Further reading en eponyms terms derived from fiction