# systems 1. systems in general work poorly or not at all 2. new systems generate new problems 3. the total amount of anergy in the universe is constant 4. systems tend to grow, and as they grow, they encroach 5. systems display antics 6. complex systems tend to oppose their own proper function 7. people in systems do not do what the system says they are doing 8. the system itself does not do what it says it is doing 9. things are what they are reported to be 10. systems attract systems-people 11. the bigger the system, the narrower and more specialized the interface with individuals 12. a complex system cannot be "made" to work. it either works or it doesn't 13. a simple system, designed from scratch, sometimes works 14. some complex systems actually work 15. a complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works 16. a complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. you have to start over, beginning with a working simple system 17. in complex systems, malfunction and even total non-function may not be detectable for long periods, if ever 18. large complex systems are beyond human capacity to evaluate 19. a system that performs a certain function or operates in a certain way will continue to operate in that way regardless of the need or of changed conditions 20. systems develop goals of their own the instant they come into being 21. intra-system goals come first 22. complex systems usually operate in failure mode 23. a complex system can fail in an infinite number of ways 24. the mode of failure of a complex system cannot ordinarily be predicted from its structure 25. the crucial variables are discovered by accident 26. the larger the system, the greater the probability of unexpected failure 27. "success" or "function" in any system may be failure in the larger or smaller systems to which the systems is connected 28. when a fail-safe system fails, it fails by failing to fail safe 29. complex systems tend to produce complex responses (not solutions) to problems 30. great advances are not produced by systems designed to produce great advances 31. systems run better when designed to run downhill 32. loose systems last longer and work better --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://um.fz.ax/self/systems.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.