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How Complex Systems Fail

source: Richard I. Cook

Why it is worth attention: eighteen short theses on why complex systems do not collapse because of one fault, but because several coincide, none of which is harmful on its own.

What to take from it: hunting for “the real cause” after an incident is usually a waste of time. The more useful question is which defences failed at the same time, and why nobody saw them weakening.

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published 12/2025 tags: essay · systems linux →

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