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sockpuppet2  20d ago (astralcodexten.com)   2693 thread views

Scott: Come On, Obviously The Purpose Of A System Is Not What It Does

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This made me reflect that I hadn't actually thought critically about the phrase (at least, commensurate to how often it's used). For fun, if you think the purpose of a system is what it does, write what you think that means, before reading Scott's critique, then write if you've updated your opinion. For example: I think it's a useful way of re-framing obviously dysfunctional systems, so as to analyze their dysfunction, but Scott is persuasive that it's not a good means of understanding systems, in general, so people should be more cautious about adopting this framing and using the phrase, rhetorically.

(Spoilers go between two sets of "||")

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I think there's a core of truth to TPOASIWID that Scott fails to refute.

A system requires a constant inflow of energy in order to continue to function. A tree needs sunlight, a business needs customers, and a state needs tax revenue. Systems tend to evolve into the form that maximizes energy inputs, constrained by local conditions. The shape of the tree evolved independently multiple times because that shape maximizes inflow of sunlight. Similarly, businesses and states tend to evolve into certain forms in order to maximize their inflow of cash. In ancient times states revolved around immovable wealth sources like mines, ports, and bridges that could be easily taxed, and many states orbited around those sources. In modern times state revenue options have diversified, and states have grown larger to suit.

The purpose of a system is what it does, if by "what it does" you mean "what it eats."

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