A set of illustrations conveying the layered architecture of human society and the emergence of markets and governance structures from older foundations, upon which they are still dependent.
The structures convey the inherent rigidity-flexibility trade-off all complex systems exhibit. A complex system must have some flexibility to respond to new, unanticipated circumstances, but also some rigidity to uphold beneficial behaviours learned from past experience. There is no perfect balance, so all complex systems – including humankind – are real-time natural experiments, vulnerable to over- or under-responding to new circumstances.
Top-level systems (i.e., markets) are fast, but lower and slower levels can be more influential. Or, as Stewart Brand puts it: “Fast gets all our attention, but slow has all the power.”
(Either scroll down or click on image for slideshow view.)
Recent Comments