Key points from this chapterDo you ever get the feeling you’re the only person in the world who can see the solution to a complicated social problem?
“I know how to solve the drug problem in Mexico,” you think. All we have to do is change the currency. Just eliminate all the present U.S. dollars, make it worthless, and then replace it with a new currency. Countries change currency all the time, but usually when they want to devalue the currency. Why wouldn’t it work for drugs? When the European countries ditched the franc, the mark and the lira for the euro, what did the drug dealers do with all the cash that they had accumulated?
Sounds like a good idea, right? However, there’s a concrete principle involved that makes that an awful idea: Because the moment you attempt to replace the dollar, the economy would be ruined by hyperinflation, as everybody with existing dollars tries to convert them into goods and services.
Or perhaps it occurs to you that the solution to all our energy problems is to devise a system that transmits electricity to automobiles through the air, the same way radio waves or television signals are transmitted. Unfortunately there are some concrete principles involved that simply say “That won’t work because…” Scientists have been trying to develop this for decades and still haven’t been able to light up a 100-watt light bulb from 5 feet away.
Perhaps your problem is that you’ve been laid off from your job and are too old to get another one. After much fretting you decide that the best thing to do is move to Australia. “They have cradle to grave welfare state,” a friend told you once. “They’ll take care of you.” It might be a good idea to call the Australian consulate and find out how hard it is to get a permanent resident visa. You may find that it’s almost impossible.
Don’t give up on these flights of fancy, however. Kick them around for a while and see if they produce a great idea that would work. When analytical thinking tells you that replacing the currency will cause hyperinflation, you now understand why it won’t work, but maybe something similar would solve the problem. When you learn that the law of physics stops you from transmitting electricity like a radio wave, you should always think, “Maybe that’s so, but let’s kick it around for a while and perhaps that will stimulate a different solution.”
Key points from this chapter
When you think you’ve found the perfect answer check it out to be sure that there are no concrete principles that make it impossible.
Even if you find your solution won’t work because of a concrete principle, don’t give up. A little creative thinking might produce a workable solution.