[calinet6]

I'll repeat this again even though I posted it below, because the analogy is so applicable, and I like having thought of it so well:

A wire is connected to the electricity, which powers the bulb. The bulb cannot light without the electricity, and it cannot light without the wire. Is the success of the bulb attributable to the wire, or the outlet?

[ghostwriter]

The success of the bulb is the result of (and to the extend of) its internal design. Change the bulb to a cork and you'll never see the light, whatever wires and outlets you have for it.

[calinet6]

This is flat out false.

What of a perfectly designed bulb without a fixture that holds it correctly for electrical contact?

What if no cord is attached to that fixture?

What if the cord is not plugged in?

What if the cord doesn't have a plug that fits the outlet?

What if the internal wiring of the building doesn't support the bulb's voltage?

What if the electrical grid is not attached to the building?

What if the transformer that turns the grid voltage to one the bulb can use has blown or doesn't do its job?

What if the grid is overloaded, or not correctly handling the appropriate load for the time of day and electrical demand?

What if the power plants themselves are not producing the planned and coordinated output?

What if the supply of coal or oil to power the plants is disrupted?

And on and on.

The bulb absolutely depends on the stability and function of systems surrounding it; systems that are hundreds of millions of times larger and more complex than the bulb itself. The bulb's success is due to both its intrinsic properties and quite literally hundreds of external factors that you cannot take for granted.

The pervasive ignorance of this seemingly obvious facet of our daily lives is astounding.

More astounding is that people fail to apply it to individual people—or to themselves—equally. It applies equally—without question.w

[foolrush]

A pleasant side effect of this analogy is that it calls into question the notion of “success”.

Framed ideology.

[hcarvalhoalves]

The success is attributed to synergy :)