Lately, I see systems. This is less Sixth Sense and more Little Man Tate, although without the glowing blue lines or floating numerals. Simply put, subjects that previously held no interest for me - politics (particularly political rhetoric), international relations, macroeconomics, business organization - are suddenly fascinating because they share a common platform of complex systems. This revelation ought perhaps to come as little surprise, given the predilection among the geek set for the systematic and ordered. In a post detailing aspects of the nerd psyche (with workarounds!), Rands describes the obsession with systems as a coping mechanism. For example, the nerd “sees the world as a system which, given enough time and effort, is completely knowable. This is a fragile illusion that your nerd has adopted, but it’s a pleasant one that gets your nerd through the day.” This system-centric perspective is also broadly attributed as the cause for abnormal geek socialization, since most social conversation is not directly results-oriented (I once gave up on conversational segues, much to the bewilderment of my interlocutors, before reading S.I. Hayakawa’s Language in Thought and Action). Likewise it could explain the attraction of conspiracy theories, which neatly knit together compelling fact or fact-like statements to make a reassuring whole that explains some otherwise puzzling event.

Elsewhere in his post, Rands also mentions the role of the High in motivating cyclical behavior, where problem-solving or task completion creates a positive feedback loop. In one sense this is just Skinnerism redux, since carrot/stick reinforcement goes back well past Pavlov. When enmeshed in the larger context of environments like ‘video game’ or ‘programming project,’ it becomes an example of a teleological mechanism with corrective feedback, more commonly known as cybernetics. ‘Teleological’ because the activity has purposeful, goal-seeking behaviors, with ‘corrective feedback’ provided via the High of problems solved set against the frustration of the unsolved. The particulars of the ur-Nerd that Rands describes also create a susceptibility to systemic risk-avoidance behaviors, where the difficulty in identifying or achieving the High acting as a deterrent to taking on certain new ventures - this can be seen early on in some gifted children who quickly become frustrated if they cannot easily master a new activity, self-limiting to their natural aptitude.

Elements of system study have appeared in multiple disciplines over the last century, particularly with the development of electronics and then computing as ways to create autonomous models. From circuit theory to control systems in engineering, to symbolic logic and chaos theory in mathematics, game theory in economics, multiple aspects of psychology like cognitive science, neuropsychology, and their aggregate in sociology, the pattern has recurred when efforts were made to model certain behaviors and the underlying principles were codified into systems. Collectively, the common ground is known as systems theory and its application as systems science, although in many cases any research is tied back to parent disciplines such as political science, neuroscience, and economics. However, the rise of interdisciplinary study as a reaction to overspecialization (itself another system in motion) has raised the profile of systems theory, particularly that of complex systems as studied at places like the Santa Fe Institute.

Now I realize while I may find the theory of systems itself fascinating, the relevance of it for most anyone else is likely only in its application. Having done no formal study of systemics yet, my efforts may not hold up to academic scrutiny, but I think even a novice gloss can have some value. In upcoming posts, I plan to detail a few examples of both positive and negative system effects, where the outcome follows from implicit processes of involved - and sometimes competing - systems. In the negative cases, this is frequently despite the intentions or efforts of the people laboring within the framework, since they are defeated by the controls and bindings of the system. The ultimate goal is literally to see the forest for the trees, remaking self-defeating systems and leveraging the natural gains of feedback to create benevolent loops. From climate change to government, education to business, relationships to videogames, all can be better managed with a clearer understanding of the systems at work.