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The WSJ editor who picked the headline doesn't understand anything about systems. There exists a plausible explanation by which any system failure can be descri
by MichaelSalib 16y ago
The WSJ editor who picked the headline doesn't understand anything about systems. There exists a plausible explanation by which any system failure can be described as a human failure. Just say that one of the human designers screwed up!
Despite the headline, the article itself is good.
- extension 16y agoThat's a bit pedantic. What I would consider the key difference between systematic and human failure is whether or not there was actually a system in place to prevent the failure, that humans simply failed to work within. That was clearly the case here. Systems themselves are sometimes inadequate to prevent failure, but this follows from a lack of human creativity, rather than the inability to follow straightforward rules.
- ugh 16y agoI was confused by the headline, too. I guess system means in this context something like technology and the rules and guidelines that come with it. A system failure would be a failure where rules and guidelines were followed exactly and the system failed nevertheless. That definition would make sense in light of the article.