The World Is Growing Too Complex To Manage

HowCanSomethingBeSuperGreatWithoutProducingExternalEvidence got me thinking about something again. Things are getting too complex to easily compare and contrast. Our metrics are not keeping up with our needs, leaving a huge void being filled by snake-oil salespeople and endless HolyWars. Things growing too complex to manage and understand in a rational, documentable way include:

SoftwareEngineering
Economics
EvolutionVersusCreation? debates and teaching
Medical procedures and practices
International trade and relations
Taxes
Law

Science is failing to give us the tools to measure systems with a growing number of factors, and we have nothing clean to replace it. We are returning to the dark-ages in some ways.

Being able to step back, view all the evidence, both Scientific and 'otherwise' is an important skill in this changing environment. It is up to the individual to come to their own conclusions on matters they deem important, and to allow those who find your meaningless topics meaningful to flesh out their points of view. This PointOfView all comes down to the PostModernist? society. Almost all 'authorities'(or institutions) have come to be meaningless, unless one has explored and supported the ideas and values expressed by that authority. (as opposed to the Modernistic approach, which is to take the authorities word, because it is an authority!) All opinions are relative. And no idea you value is 'absolute' compared to the next persons. -- SusanRoy

I would agree that there's a lot of data. I would agree that the data is often complex. I would stop short of saying the data is too complex.

I would say instead that the persistent introduction of false data into the mix renders any analysis a high-risk undertaking.

If you knew that all the data before you was true, or at least the result of simple observation and reporting, you could manage it. When you know that a significant portion of the data is false -- intentionally so -- then the number of conditionals becomes unmanageable and makes it look like there's "too much data" to manage.

At this point, identifying and removing the false data becomes critical. Identifying and classifying opinion as opposed to fact becomes important. Identifying the pivotal and fundamental facts and moving them out front becomes necessary.

If you can't accomplish this, then you are, indeed, doomed (doomed!).

The SovietShoeFactoryPrinciple suggest that the easiest-to-obtain facts are not always the full story.

Alternative title candidates: LimitsOfScience?, ComplexityBeyondMetrics?, TooDamnedManyFactors?