Simple Logic

We apply simple logical rules to complex adaptive systems — where the system responds to the rule and defeats it. What works once does not work when the world adjusts.

• Speed cameras reduce accidents at specific locations — so authorities install more of them. Drivers learn the camera locations and brake only there, speeding between them.
• Teaching to the test: standardized testing was meant to measure quality — schools optimized for the test, raising scores while educational quality often declined.
• Goodhart's Law: any metric that becomes a target ceases to be a good metric — the system games it.