The Goal

(Yes, it's also a book by Eli Goldratt. See the Theory Of Constraints page. But that's not what I'm talking about here... but maybe I should rename this page Infinite Game Goal?)

What is The Goal of the single infinite game? (is this the same as the Meaning Of Life?)

I tend to focus on outcomes rather than intent because (a) I'm a grumpy old man, (b) it's easier to lie about intent, and (c) regardless of the purity of intent, the outcomes can be dramatically different, and too many people have died or been subjected to miserable lives because of systems based on good intent. And, maybe most importantly, it's difficult for Systems Thinking to help us design stuff (e.g. Society Design) if we don't agree on the goals!

In a finite game one might talk about process vs outcome goals. But, since there's no end to the infinite game, the distinction becomes muddier. Since the game never ends, what's an outcome? On the other hand, this is silly: "outcome" isn't the same as "end-state", is it?

Is there a single goal or a bunch of goals? The more goals, the messier it can be to trade off among them at any given decision point. Short of (a) measuring everything and (b) converting across the varying measurement units to dollars or the Pooka Unit, it's hard to establish equivalency... But to pick a single goal might be to oversimplify things and live by a narrow vision...

And whose goal is it? Each player's goal? Or do we ...

Is a goal a scale measure of an attribute? A binary condition? ....

Even if we pick a single attribute that's measurable, we can probably only measure it for a given individual. So is the overall goal to maximize the sum of the individual measures? The median? Maximize the minimum? Minimize the variance (yuck)? Maximize the variance?

Well, enough meta-crap, let's dump some ideas...

• maximize freedom

• maximize happiness

• maximize Creativity, number of creative actions, potential for creativity

• maximize leisure

• maximize stimulation

• maximize human dignity

• maximize the odds of each player achieving his own goal

• maximize diversity, surprise

• maximize that Quality Without A Name

• maximize climb up Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs; maximize Mental Health, Congruence

• the richest human relationships

Update: see Fractally Generative Pattern Language