Designing freedom

What Hacker News says

1. skndrJun 2024
   I recommend:

   - Designing Freedom by Stafford Beer

   - Brain of the Firm by Stafford Beer

   - Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows

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2. bmitcDec 2022
   I think systems thinking is needed more than ever. There are way too many myopic decisions being made all across the board.

   For specific programming languages, I think Elixir is a great investment.

   Edit: Some systems reading if anyone is curious:

   * Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows

   * Designing Freedom by Stafford Beer. I also recommend anything by Stafford Beer.

   * Anything by Christopher Alexander

   * Systems Thinking For Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results: A new to me book that I haven't read but looks promising.

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3. andrewjlOct 2022
   This isn't a new idea, see Project Cybersyn[1].

   A few books / works by Stafford Beer, who architected much of that project, that I recommend reading.

   - Brain Of The Firm

   - Designing Freedom, 1973 Massey Lectures[2]

   [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Cybersyn

   [2] https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-1973-cbc-massey-lectures-...

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4. maxbendickSep 2021
   Excellent recommendation. I'll add Designing Freedom by Stafford Beer as a great intro. Available as a book and a series of free lectures here:

   https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-1973-cbc-massey-lectures-...

   You hit the nail on the head with the "disappointing blend" btw. So much thought coming from tech circles is lacking - it's often over-intuitive, self-unaware, and ahistorical.

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5. bmitcJan 2021
   It’s not a trick. It’s that we don’t know how to study these things yet, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for throwing our hands up in the air and not trying to investigate them. Gravity wasn’t always well crystallized. It took us time to develop and understand it.

   I highly recommend Stafford Beer’s writings and the Designing Freedom book and/or lectures.

   https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-1973-cbc-massey-lectures-...

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6. shaunxcodeOct 2012
   I have been obsessed with this ever since I read an article in the guardian (uk) circa 2003 of all places. If you want a better picture of the political situation check out "a promise to the dead" (by ariel dorfman http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1097260/).

   You can also read designing freedom (written right after the coupe) to get a solid idea of what stafford beer was driving at http://ada.evergreen.edu/~arunc/texts/cybernetics/beer/book....

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