NEW SYSTEMS MEAN NEW PROBLEMS
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ANERGY IN THE UNIVERSE IS CONSTANT
SYSTEMS OPERATE BY REDISTRIBUTING ANERGY INTO DIFFERENT FORMS AND INTO ACCUMULATIONS OF DIFFERENT SIZES
THE SYSTEM ITSELF (DAS SYSTEM AN UND FUER SICH) TENDS TO GROW AT
5-6% PER ANNUM
Systems Expand, and as they expand, they Encroach.
COMPLEX SYSTEMS EXHIBIT UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR
A LARGE SYSTEM, PRODUCED BY EXPANDING THE DIMENSIONS OF A SMALLER SYSTEM, DOES NOT BEHAVE LIKE THE SMALLER SYSTEm
SYSTEMS TEND TO OPPOSE THEIR OWN PROPER FUNCTIONS
SYSTEMS TEND TO MALFUNCTION CONSPICUOUSLY JUST AFTER THEIR GREATEST TRIUMPH
A TEMPORARY PATCH WILL VERY LIKELY BE PERMANENT
THE GHOST OF THE OLD SYSTEM CONTINUES TO HAUNT THE NEW
PEOPLE IN SYSTEMS DO NOT DO WHAT THE SYSTEM SAYS THEY ARE DOING
THE FUNCTION (OR PRODUCT) IS DEFINED BY THE SYSTEMS- OPERATIONS THAT OCCUR IN ITS PERFORMANCE OR MANUFACTURE
THE NAME IS MOST EMPHATICALLY NOT THE THING
THE REAL WORLD IS WHAT IS REPORTED TO THE SYSTEM
A SYSTEM IS NO BETTER THAN ITS SENSORY ORGANS
TO THOSE WITHIN A SYSTEM, THE OUTSIDE REALITY TENDS TO PALE AND DISAPPEAR
THE BIGGER THE SYSTEM, THE NARROWER AND MORE SPECIALIZED THE INTERFACE WITH INDIVIDUALS
DESIGNERS OF SYSTEMS TEND TO DESIGN WAYS FOR THEMSELVES TO BYPASS THE SYSTEM
A COMPLEX SYSTEM THAT WORKS IS INVARIABLY FOUND TO HAVE EVOLVED FROM A SIMPLE SYSTEM THAT WORKED
A COMPLEX SYSTEM DESIGNED FROM SCRATCH NEVER WORKS AND CANNOT BE MADE TO WORK. YOU HAVE TO START OVER, BEGINNING WITH A WORKING SIMPLE SYSTEM
IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS, MALFUNCTION AND EVEN TOTAL NON-FUNCTION MAY NOT BE DETECTABLE FOR LONG PERIODS, IF EVER
THE SYSTEM IS ITS OWN BEST EXPLANATION
THE MODE OF FAILURE OF A COMPLEX SYSTEM CANNOT ORDINARILY BE DETERMINED FROM ITS STRUCTURE
WHEN A FAIL-SAFE SYSTEM FAILS, IT FAILS BY FAILING TO FAIL SAFE
More to the point: a century of advances in electronics has failed to produce any improvement in the quality of thecontentof the messages broadcast over the air waves.
IN SETTING UP A NEW SYSTEM, TREAD SOFTLY. YOU MAY BE DISTURBING ANOTHER SYSTEM THAT IS ACTUALLY WORKING
THE MEANING OF A COMMUNICATION IS THE BEHAVIOR THAT RESULTS
DO IT WITHOUT A NEW SYSTEM IF YOU CAN