Groups are more than the sum of the individuals. Ecological systems are more than the sum of all the organisms, water, soil, and atmosphere. We cannot explain cellular biology with chemistry. Chemistry cannot be fully explained with quantum physics. The properties of rocks and metal alloys cannot be fully explained at their atomic structural level. There are mysteries about subatomic particles which are unlikely to be explained fully by their sub-components.
We live in a universe of systems upon systems upon systems. The connections are real. You can dive deep and find cause and effect relationships. Yet the effort to break the complex and complicated down into ever smaller component parts never yields full understanding. You need information outside the system to understand the system (See Godel’s Incompleteness Theorems).
A significant fraction of disease research, especially cancer, is directed at finding the gene, the receptor protein, the drug, the parts of the machine. The fundamental belief is that the body is purely a machine. After decades of effort and trillions of dollars, with little to show beyond early detection, I suggest we consider whether we’re looking in the right place and should find another perspective.
I see the same tendency to “diagnose and treat” the weaknesses and failings of human organizations, from family to small and large businesses to governments and citizens. Consultants and program managers and therapists say, “Let’s break this down into parts we can work with.” The few successes are disproportionately small considering the immense efforts involved.
Here is a fundamental truth about systems: There is always something which can be done to shape the trajectory of a system.
Feel fee to call me crazy, but I’m convinced now the way to change a system is not through mechanics, but through story, music, and poetry.
