Sublime

To that haunting and recurrent question, despite vigorous investigation, no clear answer yet appears. Even Toynbee, floundering through his massive survey of 20-odd civilizations, was finally able to discern only that: SYSTEMS TEND TO MALFUNCTION CONSPICUOUSLY JUST AFTER THEIR GREATEST TRIUMPH Toynbee explains this effect by pointing out the strong

The performance of any part of an organic nonlinear system cannot be understood or predicted in isolation from the rest, but only in relationship to the rest. Such parts are no longer freely interchangeable, and the methodologies of reductionism are impotent.

The Properties of Complex Systems We have few general design principles for adaptive components (cells, organisms, nations) in isolation or in the aggregate where new unforeseen properties emerge. Components typically have high failure rates in all tasks and accomplish their objectives through statistical averaging and approximation across multiple

Self-organization is the life force of the world, thriving on the edge of chaos with just enough order to funnel its energy, but not so much as to slow down adaptation and learning.

1. Write all of my thoughts on a subject.


2. Argue against those ideas.


3. Explore different angles until I’m sick of it.


4. Leave it for a few days or years, then repeat those steps.


5. Hate how messy these thoughts have become.


6. Reduce them to a tiny outline of the key points.


7. Post the outline. Trash the rest.

third variable, the corrective action or fundamental solutions—the capacity of the system to fix itself—declines. At moments of reflection and self-awareness, you suddenly…

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.