the complexity of our individual lives must be understood in the context of a system that must enable its components to contribute effectively to the collective system. thus, we are being, and will continue to be shielded from the true complexity of society. in part this is achieved by progressive specialization that enables individuals to encounter only a very limited subset of the possible professional and social environments. this specialization will have dramatic consequences for our children, and their educational and social environments are likely to become increasingly specialized as well.
given the complexity of human civilization's behavior, it is necessary to conclude self-consistently that as individuals we are unable to understand it, even though we comprise it as a collective. therefore, one would be unwise to argue, on the basis of general considerations, matters of social policy. social policy questions must be dealt with by the system, by the people involved, as direct challenges to the system.
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