ABSTRACT
The late economist, Kenneth Boulding, was a professor at my university for many years. He was quite original and fundamental in his thinking; and he was sufficiently well-respected to be nominated for a Nobel Prize. He is the one who said it takes the longest time to think of the simplest things. One way to interpret this saying from the point of view of this text is as follows. Finding patterns in a complex situation requires stripping away all “nonessential” information, in order to get to the simple heart of the matter. Finding this “simple core pattern” takes much time and experience, as history records. Boulding was the originator of the term “throughput” and can be considered one of the ecological economists. His philosophy of economics was well connected with Nature, and he had a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of many disciplines. Some might find it surprising that I agree wholeheartedly with another
famous Boulding quote: “Mathematics brought rigor to Economics. Unfortunately, it also brought mortis.”
