Thinking a lot about ratchets lately. Internal and external. Ratchets are more fundamental than clocks. Things that can only grow in one direction, and reversed only via destruction.
Conversation
Show replies
Replying to
Would you still call it a "ratchet" if it's growth slowed from exponential to linear?
1
2
Replying to
I thought about that quite a bit actually. It's a functionalist concern: ratchets are mechanisms. If they hit diminishing returns regimes, they cease to function so you need a new one. It has to be a "clock" in some sense, an unbounded positive definite f(time) on average.
1
3
Show replies
Replying to
Zip ties are ratchets designed to be destroyed! This has to be a good metaphor for you
3
2
7
Show replies
Replying to
I wonder to what extent ratchets could be avoided/reversed if they were more readily recognized
I.e. "Wait a second, we're only doing this because we feel a need to stay self-consistent / recover sunk costs / fight a pointless arms race"
1
2
Ex:
- politicians competing to be the "toughest" on crime
- expecting ever-longer lists of paper credentials for employment
Struggling to think of more where awareness would help 🤔
1
3
Show replies
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Replying to
Umm. Not quite. Flywheels are not feedback mechanisms, and neither are ratchets. Flywheels are inertial loads. Integrators that can be wound/unwound if you like systems theory. Ratchets are feedback-driven state constraints.
Amazon basically thinks with this lingo.
1
5
Show replies




