I agree in general but I strongly miss something in the lines of:
Each problem is different, the roots of a single problem are ill defined and they usually span along probably endless levels… and, most importantly, problems are nested. One should be aware of this otherwise one cannot address the most interesting question which is whether, overall, it is more helpful/effective to address a problem in a superficial level or in a deeper one.
In some cases the number and severity of problems is going to fade by addressing them directly, but sometimes they are only going to get worse with time if a deeper parent problem is not addressed. You gave examples of the first type. An example of the second type are problems stemming from climate change. If we’d not do anything to stop the climate to continue warming, we could move cities further from the coast, rebuild and protect us from more extreme weather events, etc.; but these problems would continue to reproduce only getting worse with time.
“Solving a problem doesn’t require addressing the root cause of it”, yes; but sometimes, not doing it produces more and more problems. The aim is not solving problems, the aim is having so few problems as possible. And these are significantly distinct aims.
I agree in general but I strongly miss something in the lines of:
Each problem is different, the roots of a single problem are ill defined and they usually span along probably endless levels… and, most importantly, problems are nested. One should be aware of this otherwise one cannot address the most interesting question which is whether, overall, it is more helpful/effective to address a problem in a superficial level or in a deeper one.
In some cases the number and severity of problems is going to fade by addressing them directly, but sometimes they are only going to get worse with time if a deeper parent problem is not addressed. You gave examples of the first type. An example of the second type are problems stemming from climate change. If we’d not do anything to stop the climate to continue warming, we could move cities further from the coast, rebuild and protect us from more extreme weather events, etc.; but these problems would continue to reproduce only getting worse with time.
“Solving a problem doesn’t require addressing the root cause of it”, yes; but sometimes, not doing it produces more and more problems. The aim is not solving problems, the aim is having so few problems as possible. And these are significantly distinct aims.