Complicated-or-Complex Problem Test
Decide whether to solve a problem or learn to live it
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
The test distinguishes problems that can be solved from problems that can only be understood and lived. A complicated problem, such as building a machine, yields to sufficient information, discipline, brainpower, and computation. A complex problem may have simple rules but cannot be resolved in advance because its state changes through live interaction. A football match, a marriage, a pet, or a developing self fits this second class. First ask whether more information could produce a stable answer. Then ask whether the participants and feedback will keep changing the situation. Solve the first class analytically; approach the second with observation, adaptation, and acceptance that there is no final solved state.
Origin
Brooks introduces the distinction after Chris describes years of elaborate self-optimization, arguing that the person one wants to become is understandable rather than solvable.
Core principles
- 01Complicated problems yield to information and computation
- 02Complex problems unfold through interaction over time
- 03Understanding can be the correct goal when solving is impossible
- 04Many meaningful parts of life are complex
How to run it
- 1
Frame the challenge
Describe what is happening and the outcome you are trying to produce without yet prescribing a method.
- 2
Test for solvability
Ask whether enough information, discipline, or computational power could generate a repeatable answer.
Pro tip Look for stable components and rules.
Watch out Difficulty alone does not make a problem complex.
- 3
Test for emergence
Ask whether human behavior, feedback, or unfolding events continually change the state of the problem.
Pro tip If the outcome can only be known by living through it, complexity is likely dominant.
- 4
Choose the mode
Use analysis and execution for a complicated problem; use attention, experimentation, and adaptation for a complex one.
Watch out Do not demand a permanent answer from a living system.
- 5
Reassess over time
For complex problems, update your understanding as interactions reveal new information instead of declaring the matter solved.
Pro tip Track what changed in the system, not only whether a plan was completed.
In the wild
A toaster can be understood, assembled, and repaired through stable technical knowledge. A marriage changes as two people interact, so no amount of advance calculation can settle every future state.
→ The technical object is solved; the relationship is continually understood and lived.
Common mistakes
Treating yourself like a machine
More information and a larger routine do not permanently solve an evolving identity.
Calling every hard problem complex
A difficult technical task can still be complicated if stable knowledge and computation can solve it.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone deciding whether a challenge needs more analysis or more adaptive participation.
Not ideal for
It should not be used to avoid solving a difficult but genuinely technical problem.
From the transcript
“when it comes to the person that you want to be, that's not a problem you can solve. That's a problem you can understand.”
“There's two kinds of problems. There's the solvable problems and the understandable problems.”
“Complex problems are super easy to understand, but they're impossible to solve. You can only live them.”
From the episode
14 Habits for an Optimised Morning & Evening Routine - Arthur Brooks - #1043
Arthur Brooks