Cynical Theory: You Are Part of a System

Cynical Theory is a set of six axioms that explain human motivation and behavior. Axiom 6 (You Are Part of a System) posits everyone is part of a system of interdependencies. On a micro level, when you understand how the Cynical World influences individual behavior, you can make choices that empower you. On a macro level, when you recognize how the world operates, you can minimize negative effects and maximize your benefits. You can leverage your understanding to navigate and conquer the Cynical World.

About Cynical Theory

Cynical Theory is my explanation of the fundamental motivations of people; it provides a basis for understanding human motivation, behavior, and how to interact with others. It is codified in six axioms.

When I use the word "cynical." I associate it with the definition: “based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest.” My use of the word "cynical" is synonymous with "selfish."

I introduced Cynical Theory to help you understand and conquer the Cynical World.

A nerd's view of the world

We must not only remain open to new information, we must actively seek it out and try to gain a more complete understanding of the world as it really is.
- Hyrum W. Smith

I'm a computer nerd/geek; it colors how I perceive the world. I use Computer Science concepts to analyze and understand the world around me.

For example, when you see a "person", I see a "system" (definition: "a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole") that reacts to stimuli. When I conceptualize a person as a system, I use the same analysis techniques used to debug a computer program.

The simplest abstraction of a computer program is a black box (I don't know what is inside or how it works). The only thing I can do is provide inputs (stimulus) and observe the outputs (response). A computer program functions properly when the output is what is expected (given particular inputs). A computer program fails or "has a bug" when the output differs from expectations.

Debugging a program consists of creating inputs and monitoring the output. Using this technique, you can determine what is happening inside the black box.

For example, if I input the number 1 and the output is 2, I assume what is happening inside the black box. There is a mathematical calculation being made, but, at this point, I have insufficient observational data to determine what the calculation is. It could be adding 1 to the input, or multiplying the input by 2 as illustrated by the diagram below.

When I provide additional inputs and monitor the output, I improve my understanding of what the system is doing.

After this set of observations, I conclude that the input is being multiplied by 2.

This may seem like a trivial example, but this is the building block of every computer system. A computer program consists of a series of connected black boxes where the output of one black box becomes the input of another. By connecting the individual computing bits and building logic in some black boxes, a computer program can consume inputs, make calculations/decisions, and produce an output. When we create a network of interconnected black boxes, we create a larger system that accomplishes some function.

Individuals are black boxes

This may seem impersonal, however, it's true: a person is like a black box. You do not know what is going on inside a person's head. To understand a person, you need to observe the inputs and outputs. What was the stimulus (input) and how did the person react (output)?

Like the illustrations above, you need to make many observations to begin to understand a person. If you base your conclusion on one observation, say a "first impression", then you may be wildly incorrect. When you gather more data through observation, you improve the quality of your hypothesis about the person.

If you feel this approach is ridiculous, you do it ALL THE TIME. When you meet someone, do you ask them a question? From their response, you begin to form a picture of who they are. The more you interact with another person, the better you understand them. It happens by monitoring inputs and outputs while you engage with a person.

Of course, people are more complicated than the simple mathematical example provided above. There is a whole lot of processing going on inside someone's head. Multiple stimuli and a complex interplay between them contribute to the final reaction. That is one of the many challenges in understanding others.

Individuals are a combination of systems

A person is a combination of multiple systems, all working together. Each system (circulatory, digestive, muscular, respiratory, etc) performs its unique and dedicated function to support the person as a whole. All these systems are interdependent. If you start running, the muscular system is loaded and requires more nutrients. A signal is sent to the circulatory system to provide more blood and nutrients, therefore the heart beats faster. In turn, sensing oxygen depletion, the respiratory system increases the breathing tempo. A healthy, functioning human being requires all the systems to operate together efficiently.

If there is a breakdown or issue with one bodily function, the impact on the person becomes apparent. A problem can cascade and multiply as physical systems provide incorrect outputs into the inputs of another system. Degraded operation of any critical bodily subsystem results in suboptimal performance of the entire system.

Groups form systems from subsystems

When two or more people get together, a new system is created as each individual interacts with others. Their outputs (what they say and do) are inputs to the other participants. For meaningful interactions to occur, an agreement on communication protocols and behavioral standards must be established. Without rules to guide interaction, communication and positive outcomes are unattainable.

A cell phone uses established protocols (Wi-Fi, cell networks, internet, HTTP) to communicate. Without adherence to common standards, an Android phone could not communicate with an Apple or wired phone. It is the same with people; you need a common language to share meaning with another person.

Axiom 5, Culture Imposes Standards discusses how the standards of human communication and behavior are established and used. People who adopt a particular culture form a system with common goals. They can act with common protocols (language, religion, beliefs) and common standards of behavior (customs, food, dress). By participating in a specific culture an individual becomes part of a larger system of collaborators.

The cultural system performs a specific function that benefits the group. The benefit is achieving one or more goals on the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, economic, or spiritual dimensions.

Civilization exists because people find benefits in working together. To facilitate working together, people invented systems that provide discrete services to accomplish specific tasks. For example, we have manufacturing systems, road systems, retail systems, and banking systems to facilitate the creation, distribution, and payment of goods. Our society and lifestyle couldn't exist without all these systems working together.

A common and familiar system is an organization or business. A business brings multiple people together to work towards a common goal. Within the enterprise, there are many interdependent systems, like accounting, administration, human resources, marketing, purchasing, and sales. A business acts like a person in many ways; some business types are even afforded the same legal standing as an individual.

Like the body, when one system fails it impacts other systems. Think about the impact of a utility system failing. If electricity is interrupted, our modern systems are so interdependent that there would be serious cascading effects causing failures of other systems. Failure of a single critical system significantly impacts our quality of life.

Western civilization is dependent on the systems that support it. You are intimately tied to and dependent on the systems that comprise the modern world. Even if you do not DIRECTLY use a system, you still depend on it if it's used by a system you DO rely on. Our world consists of interdependent systems that keep us fed, informed, entertained, and comfortable.

You may argue that a hermit living off the grid is not dependent on any systems in the world. But for that to be true, the hermit must mine, smelt, and manufacture all the metal tools he uses. Hermits in the modern world still require the goods and services produced by society. The only group that could be considered independent of the global community is an isolated tribal society untouched by modern technology.

Our planet's systems keep us alive. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat exist because of the diverse and interconnected systems on our planet.These systems provide everything we need to survive.

Man-made systems have been added to provide convenience and comfort. Our engineered systems are often poorly integrated with the fundamental, natural systems around us.

Humans have jeopardized our existence by altering the inputs, processes, and outputs of our planet's systems. Humans are constantly impacting and testing the resiliency of our planet to compensate for our actions.

Systems need feedback

"Input ➜ Process ➜ Output" is a useful abstraction to understand how many things work. We can use this mental model to understand even the most complex system. Each "Process" is composed of multiple "Input ➜ Process ➜ Output" black boxes that are chained together. Every process can be decomposed into simpler blocks, over and over, until we arrive at the level of detail we want to analyze and understand.

I have purposely kept the model simple to illustrate the key attributes of a system (person, organization, society, engineered, or functional) to discuss and understand the nature of connectedness between individual systems that contribute to a larger system.

The key piece that needs to be added to complete our mental model is "feedback." Feedback is "the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source."

Every properly functioning system needs feedback.

The purpose of feedback is to regulate the process that produces an output. We generalize feedback as positive or negative; positive feedback encourages the process to increase the output, while negative feedback signals the process to decrease the output. Modulating output is not limited to increasing or decreasing an output, feedback may stimulate other actions like a decision, branching, or looping.

Systems can run amok when there is no mechanism to rein in the process. You have heard the annoying screech of a microphone - this occurs because the microphone picks up a louder and louder sound from the amplifier. A proper sound system incorporates techniques that counteract the conditions that cause the screech.

Feedback is occurring all the time and at all levels. When you feel hungry, you eat. When you feel tired, you sleep. When your child does something wrong, you scold them. When you don't like something a friend does, you frown at them. When a teammate isn't performing well, you coach them. When a business is not profitable, it cuts costs and/or increases sales. When you are not happy with a bureaucratic decision, you complain. When the people are unhappy with the government, they elect new representatives. When water evaporates and enters the atmosphere, it condenses and falls as rain. When the sun shines, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Feedback is the key process that ensures systems perform effectively and efficiently. We need feedback, both positive and negative to guide our decision making.

Systems are independent and interdependent

I use the black box (system) abstraction to analyze and understand everything around me. I use decomposition to break a complex system into smaller pieces I can understand. I look for the feedback loops that regulate a process or system to understand dependencies.

Systems are independent - that is, they perform their processing (calculating and decision-making) internally, within the system boundaries.

Systems are interdependent because some inputs may come from another external system. When we have external inputs then both systems participate and create a larger system. Inputs from other external systems are part of the feedback process of the larger system.

The term "holistic" ("relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts") refers to the comprehensive, all-inclusive, and interdependent nature of the world we live in. You feel the effects from the systems you directly participate in, even if there are unknown and distant systems that have contributed. You affect the systems you interact with which are felt downstream (Butterfly Effect). The more aware you are of the holistic nature of the world, the better you understand the impact we make on each other and the world at large.

So what?

You are surrounded by systems. You interact with systems. You are a system.

The black box system model provides a means to understand every system (or process) you encounter. You can choose the level of decomposition or aggregation depending on the context you wish to understand.

On the micro level, your focus is on all the systems you interact with DIRECTLY. This includes yourself (body and mind), inputs you receive (see, hear, smell, touch, and taste), and outputs you produce (thoughts, feelings, and actions). You control some processes, such as what you think, feel, and do. Other processes you do not control, such as the beating of your heart. Understanding these concepts helps you appreciate and control your environment to produce desired results. In addition, you need to remember that all your actions (outputs) provide feedback to other systems you directly interact with (people, business, or nature).

On the macro level, you can only reason about all the systems that INDIRECTLY affect you. You may have a book in your hand, but the creation and acquisition of that book is the result of many external systems that you do not interact with or control. You may have bought the book, in which case you interacted DIRECTLY with the selling and payment system at the time of purchase, which is the micro level described above. You did not directly interact with all the systems and processes that produced and distributed the book. Most of the inputs you consume daily are created by unseen, interdependent systems producing the goods and services of the modern world.

By understanding the interconnectedness of the modern world, you will understand how to work on and in the interdependent systems that intersect with your life.

TL;DR

• A simple system abstraction is a "black box"
• A black box receives an input and produces an output
• By observing the inputs and outputs, we can deduce the process
• An individual is a black box, we need to observe to deduce what they are thinking
• Individuals are a combination of internal systems
• Individuals in a group are subsystems of a larger system
• Systems require feedback to function properly
• Systems are independent and interdependent
• Systems thinking helps you understand:
  • the systems that you DIRECTLY interact with
  • the interdependence of systems that INDIRECTLY contribute to your life

Be Cynical,

TCG

This article is part six of a six-part explanation of Cynical Theory (see: The Reference Guide). Go to part one: Axiom 1: People are Selfish.