theories - first in a series

I like to propose and develop theories to help explain my observations of the world. Here is one that I'm still refining, but is worth putting out there for comment.

Theory of Incompetence

You've probably heard of the Peter Principle which says that people in an organization rise until the get to the level where they are no longer successful. The Theory of Incompetence is much more general, it says that the more complex a society the greater the incompetence of the members of that society.

The rationale for this is that in small societies most people are involved in things that are critical to the continued success of the society. Think of Amazonian natives still living in the wild. Everyone has a job to do and if someone doesn't do things right they are liable to starve to death. Incompetence is not acceptable and is not an option. In a society as complex as, say, the USA, incompetence is acceptable and unavoidable even if when it doesn't go unnoticed. The problem in complex societies is that each person's job is usually unknown or not understood by the general public. A classic example is getting your car repaired and being over-charged for substandard work. Often you don't really know what they did so you can't tell they've if they've done things right, often until much later.

More on this in a later post...,

- Ken

Intro

This blog is just a running commentary on my views of all things as I see them and as they come to my attention. There will be be thoughts on technology, life, the world, history, current events, the universe and my self-constructed, work-in-progress philosophy. Enjoy.

- Ken