Thinking in systems
Knowledge is spread out
In shortNo one person holds the whole picture; parents, teachers and the child each know something the others do not.
The idea
Friedrich Hayek and Thomas Sowell showed that the knowledge that matters for decisions is rarely in one head. It is spread across many people, each with a part, often hard to put into words. With a child it is the same: the parents know what mornings are like, the teacher knows the playground, the child knows what they feel, the coach knows how they react in the water. No expert sees everything.
What to try
- Bring together what each person knows before concluding.
- Give weight to those who see the child every day, and to the child.
- Be wary of anyone who explains everything after an hour of observation, professionals included.
The common mistake
Replacing the knowledge of many with a single narrative, however expert.
Want to know more?
Start here
Short, plain pieces by the researchers and good writers.
The science behind itHow strong the evidence is, the model, videos and references.
How strong the evidence is
A way of thinking A lens for interpreting what a child does, not a rule from trials.
Hayek (1945) distinguishes general scientific knowledge from knowledge ‘of the particular circumstances of time and place’, dispersed and tacit; Sowell (1980) analyses how decisions degrade when taken far from those who have the knowledge and bear the consequences, and without feedback. In formulation: treat family, school and child as sources with different reliabilities for different questions, triangulate, and keep feedback channels from those who see the results.
More technical books
How dispersed knowledge and feedback make decisions better or worse.
See on Amazon ›Amazon links are affiliate links: if you buy, Bounded Uncertainty receives a small commission at no cost to you.
External videos, chosen because they agree with these ideas. Bounded Uncertainty has no link to the channels.
References
- Hayek, F. A. (1945). The use of knowledge in society. American Economic Review, 35(4), 519–530.
- Sowell, T. (1980). Knowledge and Decisions. Basic Books.
Found this useful? Buy Ricardo a coffee