Systems cannot be held in an optimal state

The standard practice of attempting to achieve system optimization by holding a system in an optimal state is contrary to the intrinsic nature of systems.

The history of ecology, economics, and sociology is full of examples showing that the systems around us, the systems we are a part of, are much more complex than our assumptions allow for. What it all adds up to is that there is no sustainable “optimal” state of an ecosystem, a social system, or the world. It is an illusion, a product of the way we look at and model the world. It is unattainable; in fact (as we shall see) it is counterproductive, and yet it is a widely pursued goal. It is little wonder, then, that problems arise.^[1]

When problems arise, people tend to not question the model itself, but to exert even greater control over the system, which tends to make the problem worse:

…rather than question the validity of the model being applied, the response has been to attempt to exert even greater control over the system. In most cases this exacerbates the problem or leaves us with a solution that comes with too high a cost to be sustained.^[2]

#systems #resilience