Comment 61696

By Mahesh_P_Butani (registered) - website | Posted March 28, 2011 at 14:58:54

" Ad hoc determinism" and " Planned determinism" are the two end of the Axis of Growth in most cities.

On one end of this axis are loosely affiliated community 'campaigns'; and on the other end are the 'planners and consultants'. Somewhere in the middle of this axis is the community's free-will –– which is simultaneously pulled in either direction.

The notion of 'compromise' or ' capitulation' of positions is what drives both types of such determinisms.

When the idea of 'competence' gets wrongfully associated with such extreme opposite notions, human behaviour shifts from being mostly logical to illogical - and either positions stop being aware of the consequences of their behaviour.

When complex issues surface in communities, it is all the more crucial for those who find themselves on either ends of the Axis of Growth in the city, to remain cognizant of the consequences of their behaviour.

Mahesh P. Butani

The logic of failure: recognizing and avoiding error in complex situations ~ By Dietrich Dörner

"If we never look at the consequences of our behavior, we can always maintain the illusion of our competence. If we make a decision to correct a deficiency and then never check on the consequences of that decision, we can believe that the deficiency has been corrected. We can turn to new problems. Ballistic behavior has the great advantage of relieving us of all accountability. The less clear a situation is, the more likely we are to prop up our illusion of competence with ballistic behavior. Such behavior reduces our sense of confusion and increases our faith in our own capabilities."

Metropolitan Hamilton

Hamilton Reporter

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