Subject: Loop of the Week

Posted by John Sterman on 11/1/2003

Message:

The loop of the week for this week isn't a loop at all: I found the following in my daughter's (7th grade) geography text:


Source: Boehm, Richard. World Geography: A physical and cultural approach. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, p. 35

Notice the first question: What process begins the water cycle?

The power of sequential, open loop thinking is so great that the author finds it obvious that the water cycle must have a beginning and an end. For him, it begins with evaporation.

The correct answer: It's a CYCLE -- it doesn't BEGIN anywhere.

By teaching that such natural cycles have BEGINNINGS and ENDS this text reinforces sequential open loop thinking.

Extra Credit: What process starts the Carbon cycle? The Krebs cycle? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? And where does the cycle of violence in the Middle East begin? Surely if the cycle has a beginning, someone must have started it. Figuring out who to blame must then be the key to solving the problem -- yeah, that's just the attitude that's led to such notable success so far.

We've got a long way to go before the closed loop concept is embedded in people's mental models.

John

Follow Ups:

Loop of the Week - Jay Forrester 11/4/2003 
Loop of the Week - John Sterman 11/5/2003
Loop of the Week - Bill Barroway 11/6/2003
Loop of the Week - Peter Welles 11/6/2003
Loop of the Week - Richard Turnock 11/7/2003
Loop of the Week - Dexter Chapin 11/7/2003
Loop of the Week - Kevin Williamson 11/5/2003
Loop of the Week - John Heinbokel 11/6/2003
Loop of the Week - Steve Kipp 11/4/2003 
Loop of the Week - Della Robertson 11/4/2003
Loop of the Week - Elisabeth Roberts 11/5/2003
Loop of the Week - John Heinbokel 11/4/2003 
Loop of the Week - Linda Booth Sweeney 11/1/2003