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Systems & Us

Embracing Complexity

  • Systems Thinking
  • Foundations
    • What is a System?
    • Seeing the Unseen
    • The Knowledge Delusion
    • The Fixed Shmoo Theory
    • The Laws of Human Nature
    • Think Like a Modeler
      • Reinforcing Loop
      • Balancing Loop
      • What is a Model and Why Learn Modeling?
      • Learn to Read Causal Loop Diagrams
      • Causal Loop Diagram Quiz
  • Archetypes
    • Addiction
    • Eroding Goals
    • Escalation
    • Exponential Success
    • Limits to Growth
    • Policy Resistance
    • Seeking the Wrong Goal
    • Tragedy of the Commons
  • About Us
    • Manifesto

Author: Jenny Zhou

April 2014 Business / Cartels / Education / Politics

The Labor Union Challenge

Human nature being what it is, those who prosper under a given system tend to become supporters of that system.

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January 2014 Systems Foundations

Meaningful Numbers & Numbers that are Meaningful

Numbers are often boring and difficult to put into context. They’re misleading, intimidating, and abstract. But when used with care

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January 2014 Education

The Charter School Movement

Ever since the first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991, charter schools have been growing  at an

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July 2013 City Planning / Learn Modeling / Population

San Francisco Rising: The Dynamics of Surging Rent Prices

We occupied [ freespace ] in downtown San Francisco on July 22 to facilitate a group modeling session. Our purpose was to engage

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June 2013 Learn Modeling / Systems Foundations

Think Like a Modeler Skill #1: Define

Someone asks you, “Do you think Obama’s proposed immigration policy is a good one?” How would you respond? You might

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May 2013 Learn Modeling / Systems Foundations

Think Like a Modeler Skill #3: Aggregate

Let’s stereotype together: In high school, we either picked a group to be a part of, or we were given

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May 2013 Learn Modeling / Systems Foundations

Think Like a Modeler

Modeling isn’t easy because thinking isn’t easy. Most people, however, make it easy by passively accepting their mental models, rarely exposing them

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January 2013 Systems Foundations

Addiction

Addictions are compulsive behavior patterns that we unconsciously do to bring temporary relief. When we have a feeling of lack,

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November 2012 Business / Politics

Everybody Hates Taxes – How America has the Highest and Lowest Corporate Tax Rates

Quiz question – Does the United States have one of the highest or lowest Corporate Tax Rates amongst developed countries?

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September 2012 Education

No Child Left to Learn

“Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid through education.” – Bertrand Russell In this post, we explore

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Hello.

This site is about systems thinking - the intrinsic wisdom of systems around us. We believe in the power of understanding the underlying systems that drive change in our world.

We believe all people should question deeply, assert bravely and revise themselves freely. We value learners over experts, thinkers over followers.

We can think creatively about how to achieve our goals within this unpredictable world: this is about systems and us.

Top Posts & Pages

  • Learn to Read Causal Loop Diagrams
  • Reinforcing Loop
  • Archetypes
  • Learn to Read Causal Loop Diagrams
  • Policy Resistance

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  • Population (3)
  • Systems Foundations (10)
  • Technology (1)
  • Uncategorized (2)

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addiction causal loop diagram eroding goals escalation exponential success limits to growth policy resistance tragedy of the commons

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San Francisco, CA
systemsandus@gmail.com

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