The Problem with Problems

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” -Albert Einstein

The first stage in any project or endeavor is fully understanding the problem space that the project is aiming to address. Unfolding that problem space into well defined iterative solution generating systems is the fundamental basis of good design architecture.

Oftentimes, in our technology oriented modern society, it is very difficult to process the problems due to incomplete access to data, as well as the machine learning algorithms which are subtly altering the collective fabric of human beliefs and information.

Human beings function as narrative driven agents. Our consciousness creates models of reality that enable us to change our reality, individually and collectively. The events of 2020 have revealed how diverse the realities we individually experience are, as well as the commonalities.

This series is an exercise in articulating a narrative that does its best to be objective, focused on unpeeling the layers of the truth stack as a learning experience.

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers in history, has the following quotes attributed to him:

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

“We cannot solve our problems using the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Now, what’s interesting, is that as I extract these quotes from the Internet, it is uncertain if these quotes commonly attributed to Einstein actually belong to Einstein.

There is an entire section on Wikiquote on unsourced and  dubious/overly modern sources of Einstein quotes. Others have written about Things Albert Einstein Never Said and Einstein’s Enigmatic Quote.

It is an Uncertainty Problem.