Sooner or late a new simplifying conception is discovered that cuts at the root idea behind the old system and replaces it. Copernicus's dazzlingly simple astronomical system, based on a heliocentric universe, replaced the hopelessly complicated Ptolemaic system. Whittle's jet engine, ironically, replaced the incurably complicated piston aeroengine of the 1930s before it also became complex. Yet the secret of evolution is the continual emergence of complexity. Yet complexity makes organisms like us possible in the first place.
Complexity is indeed a marvel when it evolves naturally and delivers powerful performance.
But when we seek it as an end or allow it to go unchecked, it merely hampers. It is then that we need to discover the new modes, the bold strokes, that bring fresh simplicity to our organizations, our technology, our government, our lives. May 1993 Page.