Systems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Build Hope in a Changing World

Most problems in the world aren't random accidents, they're built into the systems we live in. Let's look beyond cause-and-effect to study the currents that change the world and our lives.Systems Thinking is a key idea in science, politics and business, but it knows no boundaries as systems show up everywhere. When challenges overwhelm us instead of giving up hope and blaming the mysterious 'system', we can dig in to understand what's going on and what to do about it.In every era of humanity we created new systems in politics, law, technology and economics to deal with the problems of the day. As new challenges arise in the 21st century, it is up to humanity to build new systems to overcome them.Systems thinking invites us to discover the threads that bind our actions, cultures, and destinies into unexpected tapestries:Stop firefighting and get to the root cause.Search for leverage points where small acts create outsized impact.Reframe crisis from an isolated disaster to an interconnected opportunity.Fun fact - It's the UN's 80th birthday. Look out for other podcasters talking about sources of hope today.ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.Learn more and contact us - ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris.(He also makes the music...)Help from:Francisca Correia does the designs (available to hire)Jeremy Enns is our incredible podcast mentor (available to hire)BOOKSThinking in Systems: A primer - Donella MeadowsA masterclass on all things systems. (Many graphs so don't get the audiobook)Systems Thinking Made Simple: New hope for solving wicked problems - Derek and Laura CabreraSimple rules for understanding and solving the most difficult problems in society.The Change World Order: Why nations succeed and fail - Ray DalioStudy of the cycles of world power over the last 500 years.Antifragile: Things that gain from disorder - Nassim N. TalebHow to think beyond resilience to build systems (and portfolios) that benefit from difficultyCHAPTERS00:00 Systems and Families01:43 Welcome03:47 What is a System?07:03 ACT 1 - 4 ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM07:03 #1 Stocks and Flows08:32 #2 Feedback Loops10:21 #3 Delays11:32 #4 Boundaries13:02 ACT 2 - MANAGING SYSTEMS13:10 Leverage Points16:17 Butterfly Effect19:42 ACT 3 - PREVENTING COLLAPSE20:07 Resilience in systems21:52 Self-Organisation23:08 Hierarchies25:42 ACT 4 - LOOKING AT TODAY26:32 Beyond GDP29:11 Modern Political Systems30:45 Can the UN Change the World?32:12 Rewriting the Rules of a New Era33:59 Take Homes and References Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.