[LEAPSECS] Tinkering with stuff until it becomes too complex to understand

[Clive D.W. Feather]

Daniel R. Tobias said:

> Why is it that humankind has the irresistable impulse to make things 

> more complex and abstract until hardly anybody can understand them?


They don't.


> Things usually start out so simple a 5-year-old can understand them, 


Things usually start out by being simplified to the point that a 5-year-old
can understand them. Pratchett et.al. call this "lies to children".


> then progress to the point that it takes an advanced degree in a 

> specialized subject to even hope to understand some narrow portion of 

> the complexities.


Then our understanding progresses to the point that the model actually
comes close to reality ...


> We did it with the concept of money.


... or, in the case of an invented concept like money, the model was
improved so as to be more useful (banking and electronic money supports a
more efficient economy than barter).

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather          | If you lie to the compiler,
Email: clive at davros.org     | it will get its revenge.
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