Embracing Complexity and Letting Go of Control
Sonja Blignaut, Ben Ramalingam, and Silvio Funtowicz share perspectives that weave together a common theme: the challenge of navigating complexity and the humility needed to do so effectively. Blignaut highlights that “constraints... create order,” suggesting that boundaries aren’t just limitations but tools that make chaos manageable. Ramalingam warns against oversimplification, cautioning us not to break apart a “complex mess” without appreciating how its parts are interconnected. This resonates with Funtowicz’s call to “abandon the idea that you can predict and control,” encouraging us to move away from a rigid, deterministic approach and embrace uncertainty and interdependence.
Together, these insights challenge the impulse to simplify complexity and instead invite us to value the unknown, seeing constraints not as barriers but as guiding frameworks for meaningful engagement.
"Constraints are one of the primary (if not the primary) ways that order is created."
–Sonja Blignaut, Constraints in Complexity and the BART Framework
"‘Some of the greatest mistakes are made when dealing with a complex mess, by not seeing its dimensions in their entirety, carving off a part, and dealing with this part as if it were a complicated problem, and then solving it as if it were a simple puzzle, all the while ignoring the linkages and connections to other dimensions of the mess.’"
–Ben Ramalingam, Aid on the Edge of Chaos
"you have to abandon this idea that you can predict and you can control"
–Scientific Advice Mechanism, Silvio Funtowicz on Post-Normal Science Advice
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