Eric Berlow: Simplifying complexity. Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving - Wicked Problem. A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems.
Poverty is linked with education, nutrition with poverty, the economy with nutrition, and so on. These problems are typically offloaded to policy makers, or are written off as being too cumbersome to handle en masse. Yet these are the problems—poverty, sustainability, equality, and health and wellness—that plague our cities and our world and that touch each and every one of us.
These problems can be mitigated through the process of design, which is an intellectual approach that emphasizes empathy, abductive reasoning, and rapid prototyping. Horst Rittel, one of the first to formalize a theory of wicked problems, cites ten characteristics of these complicated social issuesRittel, Horst. Understanding Complexity: How to Answer the Big Questions · Sigma Scan. It is not about making predictions, but systematically investigating evidence about future trends.
Horizon scanning helps government to analyse whether it is adequately prepared for potential opportunities and threats. This helps ensure that policies are resilient to different future environments. The Horizon Scanning Programme Team coordinates strategic horizon scanning work across departments, drawing on insights from experts in and outside government to challenge our thinking. In 2014 to 2015 the team will increase its engagement with external experts through:
METAPHORmosis. Higgs Boson: Scientists May Be Closer To Finding Particle That Started Universe. 2012 could be a big year for the Higgs Boson.
Last week, a researcher promised to present something "interesting" next month related to the subatomic particle said to be the building block of the Universe. Scientists still have not proved the existence of the Higgs Boson particle, but Scientific American reports that at least one team of researchers may be getting closer to finding the elusive, so-called "God particle. " Rob Roser, whose team has been culling through information from the recently shutdown Tevatron accelerator, said he hopes the data will show that scientists have almost certainly discovered the Higgs Boson. In fact, Scientific American reports that Roser's team hopes to identify the Higgs with “three-sigma” certainty. Ron Eglash on African fractals.