A Comprehensive Model of Change

These ideas are evolving as I consider the current government and market environments in the US and the world. This explanation is part of a bigger pie
ce that I am writing about the role if market forces and the government in the discussion over Net Neutrality. Look for it soon.

Recently was presented with some compelling arguments for more free mark solutions (Greg Myers, Financial Advisor and Scout Master). After consideration and discussion (Lewis Blevins, Geek and long time friend) I have begun to add free market ideas to my understanding of the world. I see it as fitting in with other ideas including, physical evolution, market evolution and governmental evolution. I want to suggest that these ideas all fit under a larger umbrella that I will call A Comprehensive Model of Change. I am sure that I am not the first to come up with this. I hope to find writing about it.

I suggest under this model that as changes, perhaps innovations, occur those changes are tested by the current environment which either rejects them and they become extinct, or accepts them and they become part of the environment. I believe that while some of these changes are not forward moving, in the long run they lead to a greater good. In the area of physical evolution, we have the evolution of legs to walk on land leading to land based animals. In the area of market evolution, we have the invention of money as an efficiency over barter. In the are of governmental evolution, we have democracy raising above monocracy. In all these examples, we have agents of innovation (I-Agents) who act to change the current environment. The environment which includes consumer/citizen agents (C-Agents), passes judgement on the innovation determining it's future.

It is valueable to consider some factors that effect the decision of C-Agents. While many of the models (free market, evolution) present short term (greedy) gain as the primary criteria, there are increasingly more theories (Elinor Ostrom won a Nobel Prize for her critique of the Tragedy of the Commons) that suggest that people often decisions based on collective, long term and altruistic principles.

Information flow plays an important part in this process of change. As If there is not enough information or if there is misleading in the environment about a given innovation it is possible that the Innovation will be rejected by C-Agents in the environment. More interactions, more exchange of information allows agents to come to more informed opinions leading to the selection of innovations that move the greater good forward more quickly. On the other hand if there is an abundance of quality information including history, C-Agents will make fewer greedy decisions, favoring the greater good. The perception of scarcity and adundance have significant and often negative effects on the decision of C-Agents