The stability of dysfunction
The stability of dysfunction Many discussions of large systems quietly assume that a stable system is a healthy one, and an unstable system is a sick one. Complex systems tend to violate that intuition. They can remain operational for a very long time without becoming any healthier, and they possess several mechanisms that let them do so. Normalisation is one of those mechanisms. It is not the whole story. The whole story, if there is one, is that persistence and health are different properties, and large systems are often much better at achieving the first than the second. ...