Info-Gap Decision Theory for Engineering Design: Or Why “Good” Is Preferable to “Best”

We call ourselves Homo sapiens, in part because we value our ability to optimize, but our sapience is not limited to the persistent pursuit of unattainable goals. Rather, what eons have taught the species is the lesson of balancing goals against the constraints of resources, knowledge, and ability. Indeed, the conjunction of reliability analysis and system design is motivated precisely by the need to balance idealized goals and realistic constraints.