[float4]

Yeah, I purposefully used the word "simple" when I meant straightforward and "hard" when I meant difficult, but I should've explained why I used those words. Either that, or I myself have gotten the meanings of the words mixed up.

[jmull]

Hm. There is a distinction between simple/complex and easy/hard, but it’s a basic semantic one. Simple/complex refers to a system or problem, while easy/hard refers to the difficulty of controlling the system or solving the problem.

The problem in this thread with making a distinction between simple/complex and easy/hard is that people are referring to different things. People are even talking past themselves so it’s no wonder others don’t understand what they mean.

E.g., the energy model of weight gain/loss — CICO, or calories in, calories out — is simple. But CI depends on interactions between evolution, hormonal systems (a complex balancing feedback system all its own), psychology, age, money, society, culture, family, food supply, etc., which is complex. For a particular person at a particular point in their life, that bundle of factors may happen to be balanced “downward” so that CI is easy to control and weight loss is simple — and easy). In other cases, a person may need to dig in to those factors and find a way to rebalance them, which is complex — and hard.

When you’re actually referring to the same thing, simple and easy or complex and hard go together. It is easy to control simple system. It is hard to control complex ones.

[RobertKerans]

Yes you are right, and it is this:

> Simple/complex refers to a system or problem, while easy/hard refers to the difficulty of controlling the system or solving the problem.

I do think the distinction is important. I did realise as soon as I'd typed the last comment that it was just people talking past each other -- apologies to others in the thread, I should have edited. But what I mean: with specific exceptions (genetic, psychological, physical) normally both the process and the solution is simple, because of the energy model. Eat less, eat sensibly, exercise very regularly, and the majority of people will see positive results. That's simple, not quite trivially so, but almost. Actually doing that is not, however, easy for the majority of people.

A better example I think is: I smoke. This is clearly not good for a number of reasons. The solution, and the process to get to that solution is comically simple: I just stop. But yet it is hard.

[RobertKerans]

Meaning seems correct afaics? In particular any commenters who build software or engineer products should recognise this, making simple things is often very hard.