Places to intervene in a system
From Donella Meadows:
PLACES TO INTERVENE IN A SYSTEM
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
Constants, parameters, numbers (such as subsidies, taxes, standards).
The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows.
The structure of material stocks and flows (such as transport networks, population age structures).
The lengths of delays, relative to the rate of system change.
The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against.
The gain around driving positive feedback loops.
The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to information).
The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishments, constraints).
The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure.
The goals of the system.
The mindset or paradigm out of which the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises.
The power to transcend paradigms.
I love this passage. I find myself returning to it again. Meadows is a scientist, but in those last points she takes an abrupt turn toward the spiritual. When every outward-facing lever fails, the answers must necessarily be found within.
We must not use the word system, then, to refer to an object. A system is an abstraction. It is not a special kind of thing, but a special way of looking at a thing.
(Christopher Alexander, 1968. Systems Generating Systems)
The definition of a problem is subjective; it comes from a point of view.
(Hugh Dubberly on Horst Rittel’s problem theories)
All systems are fictions that we project onto our environment for our own instrumental purposes. Those purposes are determined by our mindset, by the way we see the world around us.
If the pursuit of our instrumental goals results in catastrophe, perhaps it is possible to change our mindset, the mindset or paradigm out of which the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises?
If a factory is torn down, but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory.
(Robert M. Pirsig, 1974. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)
When this exists, that comes to be. With the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be. With the cessation of this, that ceases.
(Samyutta Nikaya 12.61)
A change of mindset, inner change, involves low, slow feedback loops. This change may not bear fruit immediately, or even within a lifetime. Perhaps this is why many spiritual traditions encourage us to practice without expectation of return?
Ecosystems can't possibly exist for a particular purpose.
(Hayao Miyazaki)
All systems are fictions that we project onto our environment for our own instrumental purposes. But reality doesn’t exist for our instrumental purposes. It just exists.
If systems are fictions, maybe we can learn to hold them loosely, to trade between them, or even to let them go, and allow reality to speak back?
In the quietness, with nothing to accomplish, there is only direct experience.
(Dogen Zenji)