science

The Third Pillar

The Third Pillar is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Third Pillar rather than just read about it. In short: The Third Pillar: How the State and Markets Are Leaving Communities Behind is a non-fiction book authored by economist and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan published by HarperCollins India on February 26, 2019. This book is divided into three parts.

Key takeaways

The Third Pillar belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The Third Pillar to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Third Pillar from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Third Pillar: How the State and Markets Are Leaving Communities Behind is a non-fiction book authored by economist and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan published by HarperCollins India on February 26, 2019. This book is divided into three parts. Part 1 provides a historical narrative on the evolution of the three pillars of society. It begins with a discussion on feudal society in medieval Europe, tracing developments in society till the Great Depression. Part 2 of the book examines the interaction between the three pillars against the backdrop of the Second World War and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) revolution. Rajan also briefly touches upon the imbalances building up in the two fastest growing large economies: China and India. In the final part of the book, he proposes solutions to restore equilibrium and balance in the three pillars.

Critical reception Oren Cass of The New York Times wrote "Rajan’s real aim seems to be movement “toward one borderless world,” with stronger communities a perhaps helpful means to that end". Pulapre Balakrishnan of The Hindu wrote "The author appears to invest the community with a virtue that may be too much for it to live up to". Edward Glaeser of The Wall Street Journal wrote "Certainly, we should try the experiment. And as local governments get to work, they could certainly use the help of more thinkers of Mr. Rajan’s caliber". A Reviewer of The Financial Express wrote "That would only bring the politician in to agitate against acquisitions that are deemed arbitrary in the court of public opinion". Aram Bakshian Jr. of The Washington Times wrote "Without the firm foundation of healthy families, all three pillars are doomed to topple". Ashok Desai of Indian Express Limited wrote "It is more like a lost explorer’s wanderings in a jungle looking for an elixir. If one is focused on an elixir, one will not find this book a perfect guide. But if one enjoys getting lost in this particular jungle, this book is a fascinating companion". Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters wrote "In less skilled hands, such a sweeping analysis could quickly tip into banality. Yet Rajan underpins his argument by taking a local perspective".

Awards Short listed for the 2019 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.

References

External links The Third Pillar at Google Books

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Third Pillar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Third Pillar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Third Pillar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Third Pillar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Third Pillar

In research: The Third Pillar appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Third Pillar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Third Pillar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2019 non-fiction books, Economics books, HarperCollins books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Third Pillar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The Third Pillar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Third Pillar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The Third Pillar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Third Pillar in simple terms?

Why does The Third Pillar matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Third Pillar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Third Pillar.