Comment by toast0
8 hours ago
> We can claim that from system theory it follows that there must be an equilibrium (as somewhat of an expert, I can say that even that is not true) and that if we disrupt the system, things will eventually go back to that equilibrium. And if we don't see it, we just needed to wait longer.
Even if we do make that claim, from practice in systems theory we should know that some systems have multiple potential equilibrium. If a system is perturbed, it may come to rest at a different equilibrium that is much less desirable.
I've worked with mechanical and computer systems where the ordering and timing of applied loads makes a significant difference to observed behavior. Sometimes you have to stop and restart the whole system when it ends up at an undesired equilibrium.
In the natural environment, stopping and restarting in a controlled manner is not something entirely in our control.
I don't like being the "to be fair ..." guy, but if your argument is that sometimes, when perturbing a system, it may come back to rest at a different equilibrium that is much less desirable, it suggests that sometimes it may come back to rest at a different equilibrium that is much more desirable.
In fact, such a distinction might characterize the difference between pessimism and optimism.
> If a system is perturbed, it may come to rest at a different equilibrium that is much less desirable.
That's exactly how we got humans rather than the objectively better rulers of the planet, the dinosaurs.
Chickens will rise again!