“I just don’t get it. How’s a man get so wrong” Jayne Cobb, Serenity
At various points in Books 1 through 5 I touch upon why we have gotten enterprise talent so wrong. But the reasons behind why we get things wrong is an important topic in its own right. Because if we don’t know why, we are likely to keep doing it. What exactly are the cognitive characteristics of humans that we can’t comprehend the complexities of certain kinds of systems? Many authors assert that humans evolved to solve problems different from the ones we are asked to solve today. I don’t totally disagree, but it seems a bit facile. First of all, the problems faced by our ancestors shouldn’t be underestimated; how long would any of us, with our brilliant modern minds, survive if asked to go camping naked forever? (thank you to Stephen Pinker for that image) Second, let’s not stop at saying we think incorrectly – exactly how do we think that gets us into trouble? More to come…