Book Byte #344 "Thinking in Systems" by Donella H. Meadows

A Primer

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📣 Curious Quotes from the Author

“Remember, always, that everything you know, and everything everyone knows, is only a model. Get your model out there where it can be viewed. Invite others to challenge your assumptions and add their own.”

“There are no separate systems. The world is a continuum. Where to draw a boundary around a system depends on the purpose of the discussion.”

“We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.”

“You think that because you understand “one” that you must therefore understand “two” because one and one make two. But you forget that you must also understand “and.”

“Let's face it, the universe is messy. It is nonlinear, turbulent, and chaotic. It is dynamic. It spends its time in transient behavior on its way to somewhere else, not in mathematically neat equilibria. It self-organizes and evolves. It creates diversity, not uniformity. That's what makes the world interesting, that's what makes it beautiful, and that's what makes it work.”

“a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose.”

“Purposes are deduced from behavior, not from rhetoric or stated goals.”

“So, what is a system? A system is a set of things—people, cells, molecules, or whatever—interconnected in such a way that they produce their own pattern of behavior over time.”

“No one can define or measure justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love. No one can define or measure any value. But if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren’t designed to produce them, if we don’t speak about them and point toward their presence or absence, they will cease to exist.”

“Thou shalt not distort, delay, or withhold information.”

“Addiction is finding a quick and dirty solution to the symptom of the problem, which prevents or distracts one from the harder and longer-term task of solving the real problem.”

“If you define the goal of a society as GNP, that society will do its best to produce GNP. It will not produce welfare, equity, justice, or efficiency unless you define a goal and regularly measure and report the state of welfare, equity, justice, or efficiency.”

“Missing information flows is one of the most common causes of system malfunction. Adding or restoring information can be a powerful intervention, usually much easier and cheaper than rebuilding physical infrastructure.”

📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea

Systems make up all we see, do, and encounter in our world. The least we can do is examine the patterns and behaviors they display, even while we are unable to fully comprehend them, forecast their actions, or exert influence over them. By doing this, we will be able to improve their functionality and determine when a malfunctioning system requires maintenance. Finally, we would be delighted to know your thoughts on our content.

Until Tomorrow,
Jason (Founder Club255)