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sockpuppet2  9d ago (astralcodexten.com)   2524 thread views

Scott: Come On, Obviously The Purpose Of A System Is Not What It Does

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This made me reflect that I hadn't actually thought critically about the phrase (at least, commensurate to how often it's used). For fun, if you think the purpose of a system is what it does, write what you think that means, before reading Scott's critique, then write if you've updated your opinion. For example: I think it's a useful way of re-framing obviously dysfunctional systems, so as to analyze their dysfunction, but Scott is persuasive that it's not a good means of understanding systems, in general, so people should be more cautious about adopting this framing and using the phrase, rhetorically.

(Spoilers go between two sets of "||")

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I've run into people here, quite recently, who have used that phrase. My usual response is something along the lines that the purpose of anything is entropy maximization.

The meaning of life, as measured by what it does? Increase entropy.

The meaning of coffee? Just the same.

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