6. Synthesis

This is the sixth article in the series based on the video from 1993 where Dr. Ackoff presented the best explanation I’ve ever heard for how we got to where we are today. The presentation also makes it easy to see where we are going with new technologies (e.g., AI) and their future effect on the workplace and people. I’m going to take this slow because it can get complicated very quickly if you don’t fully understand the previous articles.

The previous article presented our current age: The System Age. The article covered Dr. Ackoff identifying a dilemma relative to analysis, which led to an epiphany!

REVELATORY LEARNING: You cannot understand the nature of a system by analysis.

Dr. Ackoff stated that fact is a fundamental revolution!

Another method of thinking was required because the Renaissance’s approach to understanding the universe (and all its parts) was wrong!

Synthesis is the opposite of analysis!

In analysis, the first step is to take the system apart. The first step of synthesis is to leave the system of interest intact and look to the next larger system because the system of interest is a part of this greater system.

The second step of analysis is to understand each part and, perhaps, fix each part. The second step of synthesis is to define the next larger system.

The third step of analysis is to put the whole back together (reaggregation). The third step of synthesis is to understand the purpose of the system as an effect of taking the larger system apart (disaggregation).

Here are the three steps of synthesis:

1. Look to the next larger system
2. Define the next larger system
3. Disaggregate the understanding of the whole into understanding the role of the parts

For example, when it comes to a car being the system of interest:?

1. We identify “transportation” as the next bigger system.
2. We understand the purpose of transportation as transporting something from one location to another.
3. We define the purpose of a car as a personal, autonomous, safe-against-the-weather way of transporting an individual.

Let me be clear: We need both analysis and synthesis!?

Dr. Ackoff stated:

-Analysis provides the “know how”, which he stated is knowledge.

-Synthesis gives explanation, which yields understanding.

-Knowledge is what is contained in instructions.?

-Understanding is what is contained in explanations.

-Analysis exposes structure; how it works

-Understanding explains why it works the way it does; it’s nature.

Dr. Ackoff gave the following examples:

Why do the English drive on the wrong (left) side of the road? Will taking an English car apart yield the explanation/understanding? NO!

The explanation is that the English knights were mostly right handed, so they rode their horse on the left side of the road in order to be able to defend themselves with their right hand from threats coming at them from the other direction.

Why do Americans drive on the right side of the road? Will taking an American car apart yield the explanation/understanding? NO!

American drivers also tended to be right handed, which meant they preferred to shift with their right hand.

In the 1950’s the average American car was built to carry six passengers. Will taking an American car apart yield the explanation/understanding? NO!

In the 1950’s the average American family had 5.6 people.

In the 1980’s the average American car was built to carry four passengers. Will taking an American car apart yield the explanation/understanding? NO!

In the 1980’s the average American family had 3.2 people.

Dr. Ackoff concluded that the Machine Age began to die when we gave up the principle of understandability (through analysis) in order to eliminate the second of the two dilemma’s. (Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: The universe is not understandable)

Dr. Ackoff stated that systems thinking is the fusion of analysis and synthesis in order to get knowledge and understanding. After all, the third step of analysis is synthesis…and the third step of synthesis is analysis!

Dr. Ackoff stated there was a consequence to synthesis: If we need to go to the larger system to get understanding, ultimate understanding will come from going to the largest system.

Dr. Ackoff said this is the same issue we had with reductionism (analysis) and asked: Is there one system that contains everything? (He asked everyone to take a moment to answer this question before giving his answer.)

Dr. Ackoff’s answer, “Given that the universe can’t be understood, the answer is scientifically meaningless, but not psychologically meaningless.”

We will see his reason why in the next article, but first…

In order to tie up some loose ends, the issue with analysis vs. synthesis is: Which step is first?

What Dr. Ackoff implied, but never directly stated in this presentation is that synthesis ought to ALWAYS be the first step.?

Using analysis as a first step leaves no room for synthesis to make a contribution AND the point of the presentation up to this point was to show how analysis as a first step resulted in two dilemmas. We already showed how synthesis removes the second dilemma. The first dilemma was: “No Free Will: Determinism”. We will begin to look at how this dilemma was removed in the next article.

More than twenty-five years after this presentation from Dr. Ackoff, the September/October 2019 edition of the Harvard Business Review magazine’s cover story looked at categorical thinking, which is analysis. They explained that our brains naturally work according to analysis.

The conclusion is that when analysis is applied to people it results in racism and sexism.

Here are two articles I wrote in January and February of 2020 (FOUR YEARS AGO!) to show how using synthesis as a first step would prevent racism and sexism:

Do you REALLY want to end sexism and racism?

Synthesis as a First Step

It’s a shame the powers that be have ignored this information for more than four years.

Have you?

Link to Next Article: 7. Modeling God

Link to Table of Contents: The Decline and Fall of the Machine Age