Navigating Complexity: Strategies Developed in Response to Human Boundedness
Relevance Realization, Indwelling and Compression
The human brain, despite its remarkable capabilities, faces inherent limitations. Finite memory, attention span, and computing power force us to develop strategies for navigating the overwhelming complexity of the world.
It is amazing how we have developed ingenious methods to tackle this constant challenge:
Relevance Realization: Imagine a spotlight illuminating only the essential details. Our brains excel at this by filtering out irrelevant information, allowing us to focus on what truly matters in a given situation. This "pruning" ability acts as a powerful filter, ensuring we don't drown in a sea of unimportant details.
Indwelling: This strategy involves shifting our perspective to gain an intuitive understanding of a scenario. Instead of a step-by-step analysis, indwelling allows for a holistic and empathetic grasp, similar to Kahneman's System 1 thinking – the fast, automatic mode of processing information. This allows us to "feel" the situation rather than just analyze it.
Compression: Imagine condensing a sprawling city map into a manageable pocket guide. This is what compression achieves. By recognizing patterns and building mental models, we simplify vast amounts of data into manageable representations. These simplified "schemas" stored in our memory allow us to navigate complex realities without being overwhelmed.
Beyond these core strategies, humans employ a rich toolbox for decision-making:
Prioritization: Assigning a value to each option allows us to focus on the most critical choices first. This often works hand-in-hand with relevance realization.
Simplification: Reducing the number of options from the outset can significantly ease decision-making. Setting routines or creating defaults are examples of simplification in action.
Heuristics: These are mental shortcuts, essentially simplified rules of thumb. While not always perfect, heuristics can be seen as a form of pattern recognition within the compression strategy.
Satisficing: This strategy acknowledges our cognitive limitations. Instead of seeking the absolute best solution, we seek one that's "good enough" to meet our needs. This helps us make decisions efficiently despite processing limitations, a concept often explored in the context of Bounded Rationality.
Understanding and utilizing these strategies equips us to navigate the complexities of the world around us. They empower us to make informed choices even with our inherent cognitive limitations. However, it's crucial to remember that all these strategies – relevance realization, indwelling, simplification, and compression – can introduce biases. They represent a trade-off between managing complexity and achieving ease of understanding.
As Michelangelo aptly stated,
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."