Can we build a common and detailed understanding of the WHY behind issues?
I’m kind of new to EA itself but have been involved in programs teaching similar approaches to tackling “grand challenges,” “wicked problems,” etc.. I’m posting this just to throw out some ideas that have been in the back of my mind for a while and learn. More to start a discussion than anything.
TL;DR: the idea is to create a visual Wikipedia for understanding the problems we’re trying to solve—a platform where various orgs and affected communities can build up a common, detailed, and accurate understanding of why an issue is the way it is.
Future efforts don’t have to start from scratch in thinking about a problem.
Knowledge gaps/disagreements and different perspectives on a system are clear and laid out for you.
Potential points of intervention standout to identify actionable solutions.
Below is my thought process, so please challenge me on my assumptions. If this idea has been done to death or is really naive or something, I apologize. Please let me know your thoughts. -----
My thought process/assumptions:
In those programs I was in, systems mapping/thinking was the method we were taught (with tools like Kumu.io for example). I’m under the impression that many charitable orgs and foundations use this technique too and that it’s quite effective at finding an actionable point of intervention.
I’ve noticed that creating a detailed and accurate systems map simply just takes time—lots of research, endless discussion, reworking and disagreement, etc.. I would guess that for far off communities or global systems, it’s even harder to be accurate. Many don’t agree on how to solve a problem and it’s often hard to pinpoint where that gap is.
So why can’t we build shared maps of systems (like Wikipedia is for information)? Does that already exist? In my head, it would map out common understandings of why issues are the way they are among orgs and affected communities as they all share knowledge and contribute, and then allow knowledge gaps/disagreements to stand out, all much more efficiently, accurately, and precisely. And then eventually, identify the best point(s) of intervention as a good systems map does.
Can we build a common and detailed understanding of the WHY behind issues?
I’m kind of new to EA itself but have been involved in programs teaching similar approaches to tackling “grand challenges,” “wicked problems,” etc.. I’m posting this just to throw out some ideas that have been in the back of my mind for a while and learn. More to start a discussion than anything.
TL;DR: the idea is to create a visual Wikipedia for understanding the problems we’re trying to solve—a platform where various orgs and affected communities can build up a common, detailed, and accurate understanding of why an issue is the way it is.
Future efforts don’t have to start from scratch in thinking about a problem.
Knowledge gaps/disagreements and different perspectives on a system are clear and laid out for you.
Potential points of intervention standout to identify actionable solutions.
Below is my thought process, so please challenge me on my assumptions. If this idea has been done to death or is really naive or something, I apologize. Please let me know your thoughts.
-----
My thought process/assumptions:
In those programs I was in, systems mapping/thinking was the method we were taught (with tools like Kumu.io for example). I’m under the impression that many charitable orgs and foundations use this technique too and that it’s quite effective at finding an actionable point of intervention.
I’ve noticed that creating a detailed and accurate systems map simply just takes time—lots of research, endless discussion, reworking and disagreement, etc.. I would guess that for far off communities or global systems, it’s even harder to be accurate. Many don’t agree on how to solve a problem and it’s often hard to pinpoint where that gap is.
So why can’t we build shared maps of systems (like Wikipedia is for information)? Does that already exist? In my head, it would map out common understandings of why issues are the way they are among orgs and affected communities as they all share knowledge and contribute, and then allow knowledge gaps/disagreements to stand out, all much more efficiently, accurately, and precisely. And then eventually, identify the best point(s) of intervention as a good systems map does.
Sounds interesting! I’d be curious to see more :)
You can take a look at this flowchart from 2015 by Owen Cotton-Barratt and Daniel Kokotajlo, which might offer some inspiration.