IMHO, the author tries to argue that we can get a better understanding by thinking in term of the structure of the payoff function, rather than focusing on the

IMHO, the author tries to argue that we can get a better understanding by thinking in term of the structure of the payoff function, rather than focusing on the input itself. Yes, the try-and-error process and chance are important, but the convexity of the output function is exactly what makes them so rewarding.