In any complex system, an overemphasis on the importance of some metrics will lead to weaknesses developing in other overlooked ones. I prefer Simon’s second type of satisficing; it’s surely better to find satisfactory solutions for a realistic world, than perfect solutions for an unrealistic one. It is all too easy, however, to portray satisficing as ‘irrational’. But just because it’s irrational, it doesn’t mean it isn’t right.
