Yes, that seemed unbelievable to me as well. As the system gets more complex it gets harder to see the big picture (even if it seems obvious with hindsight). Th

Yes, that seemed unbelievable to me as well. As the system gets more complex it gets harder to see the big picture (even if it seems obvious with hindsight). That's just like software. The article had another point, though: it's not enough to have positive and negative reinforcement, they should be perceived to be fair. And the system needs to adapt as perceptions shift. For example, the traditional restrictions on women in islam were largely self-perpetuating throughout history because they were seen to be fair by whole societies, including the affected women. The perception is more important than fairness itself. From our perspective in the west it seems like a kind of Stockholm Syndrome.