Inspired by Alison Guthrie-Wrenn’s presentation at Metaphorum 2023 (all from Bard/Bing/ChatGPT)

• Why don’t systems thinkers play hide and seek?

– Because good luck hiding when you’re connected to everything!

• Why don’t cyberneticists make good chefs?

– They’re always trying to reduce the kitchen’s entropy, but it just ends up in more chaos!

• Why did the cybernetician get fired from the circus?

He kept trying to feedback the elephants.

• What do you call a cybernetician who is always late?

A time-delay element.

• Why did the cybernetician get lost in the woods?

He was following a recursive path.

• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

– The circular causality

• What do you call a cybernetician who is always talking about himself?

A self-referential system.

• What do you call a cybernetician who is always getting lost?

A nonlinear system.

• How many complexity theorists does it take to change a light bulb?

– It depends on the initial conditions.

• How do you tell the difference between a linear and a nonlinear system?

– A linear system is predictable, a nonlinear system is chaotic, and a complex system is both.

• Why did the systems thinker break up with their partner?

– They had too many negative feedback loops.

• How do you catch a systems thinker?

– Bait the trap with “the big picture.”

• Why did the complexity theorist go broke?

– Because they couldn’t predict the emergent properties of their bank account.

• What does a cyberneticist bring on a first date?

– A model for understanding the potential relationship dynamics.

• Why don’t complexity theorists make good cooks?

– Because they’re always trying to avoid tipping points.

• Why did the system thinker refuse to play chess?

– They were too concerned about the unintended consequences of each move.

• How do you know if a system is complex?

– If you can’t explain it in a tweet, it’s complex. If you can explain it in a tweet, but no one understands it, it’s also complex.

• What do you get when you cross a cyberneticist and a comedian?

– A cyberneticist who laughs at his own feedback loops.

• Why did the chicken cross the road?

– Because it was part of a self-organizing emergent circular phenomenon that resulted from the interaction of multiple agents and environmental