Joseph Tainter observed that civilizations solve problems by adding institutional complexity — new bureaucracies, regulations, technologies, dependencies. Each layer costs more than the last, while delivering diminishing returns. The civilization cannot voluntarily simplify because every layer has constituents who depend on it.
The fatal insight: the system's own measurement tools are part of the complexity. As the structure grows, its ability to perceive its own fragility degrades. It cannot detect the crossover point where marginal costs exceed marginal benefits — and by the time the mismatch is visible, collapse is already underway.
Click to add complexity. Watch the network grow. Try to keep it alive.