This Is Not a Test

Overview

This Is Not a Test explores how to build and rehabilitate institutions capable of sustaining healthy relationships with the planet, biosphere, and each other. It draws on systems thinking, governance frameworks, and design processes to confront complexity, trade-offs, and constraint satisfaction in adaptive systems.

Course Structure

The course is divided into three modules, each exploring a core idea through theory, practice, and synthesis:

License

cc-by-sa-4

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1. Models and Their Limits

• Abstract - Module overview and key themes
• Glossary - Key terms and concepts
• Questions - Discussion questions and prompts

Theory (1.1)

• 1.1.0 – A Primer – Thinking in Systems (Meadows) (Systems Thinking and Feedback Loops)
• 1.1.1 – Pace Layering – The Clock of the Long Now (Brand) (Time Scales and Stability)
• 1.1.2 – A Pattern Language – A Pattern Language (Alexander) (Spatial Design and Modularity)
• 1.1.3 – Requisite Variety – An Introduction to Cybernetics (Ashby) (Control, Adaptation, and Complexity)

Practice (1.2)

• 1.2.1 – Urban Dynamics – Urban Dynamics (Forrester) (Feedback in Urban Systems)
• 1.2.2 – Epistemic Cultures – Epistemic Cultures (Knorr Cetina) (Timescales in Knowledge Systems)
• 1.2.3 – Introduction to Permaculture – Introduction to Permaculture (Mollison & Slay) (Patterns in Natural Systems)

Synthesis (1.3)

• 1.3.1 – Small is Beautiful – Small is Beautiful (Schumacher) (Local Resilience and Adaptability)
• 1.3.2 – Structures – Structures (Gordon) (Design, Integrity, and Failure Analysis)
• 1.3.3 – Panarchy – Adaptive Environmental Management (Holling) (Cycles, Change, and Resilience)

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2. Collective Action and Institutions

• Abstract - Module overview and key themes
• Glossary - Key terms and concepts
• Questions - Discussion questions and prompts

Theory (2.1)

• 2.1.1 – Code 2.0 – Code 2.0 (Lessig) (Architecture as Regulation)
• 2.1.2 – Institutions – Institutions (North) (Formal Rules and Governance)
• 2.1.3 – Evolution of Cooperation – The Evolution of Cooperation (Axelrod) (Game Theory and Trust)

Practice (2.2)

• 2.2.1 – Working in Public – Working in Public (Eghbal) (Open-Source Governance and Platforms)
• 2.2.2 – Selected Works – Lucy Suchman (Technology and Social Practices)
• 2.2.3 – Sacred Ecology – Sacred Ecology (Berkes) (Ecological Governance and Traditional Knowledge)

Synthesis (2.3)

• 2.3.1 – Governing the Commons – Governing the Commons (Ostrom) (Commons Governance and Polycentric Systems)
• 2.3.2 – Seeing Like a State – Seeing Like a State (Scott) (Centralization and Local Knowledge)
• 2.3.3 – The Death and Life of Great American Cities – The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Jacobs) (Urban Complexity and Order)

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3. Design, Analysis, and Governance

• Abstract - Module overview and key themes
• Glossary - Key terms and concepts
• Questions - Discussion questions and prompts

Theory (3.1)

• 3.1.1 – Finite and Infinite Games – Finite and Infinite Games (Carse) (Philosophy of Design Goals)
• 3.1.2 – The Sciences of the Artificial – The Sciences of the Artificial (Simon) (Design Heuristics and Adaptability)
• 3.1.3 – The Art of Doing Science and Engineering – Judgment and Process Thinking (Hamming)

Practice (3.2)

• 3.2.1 – The Utopia of Rules – The Utopia of Rules (Graeber) (Bureaucracy and Governance)
• 3.2.2 – Anarchist Cybernetics – Anarchist Cybernetics (Swann) (Decentralized Control Systems)
• 3.2.3 – All Our Relations – All Our Relations (LaDuke) (Indigenous Governance Models)

Synthesis (3.3)

• 3.3.1 – Designing Freedom – Designing Freedom (Beer) (Cybernetics and Autonomy)
• 3.3.2 – Engineering a Safer World – Engineering a Safer World (Leveson) (Safety and Systems Thinking)
• 3.3.3 – We Have Never Been Modern – We Have Never Been Modern (Latour) (Actor-Networks and Hybridity)

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Relationships

Keyword Coverage

See Keywords for detailed definitions and examples of key concepts used throughout the readings.

Reading-Keyword Matrix

See Relationships for a detailed mapping of how each reading relates to key concepts.

The relationships between readings and keywords range from:

• Direct - Explicitly covers and develops the concept
• Indirect - Touches on or applies the concept without direct discussion
• Not Covered - Does not substantially engage with the concept

This mapping helps identify:

• Core texts for specific concepts
• Complementary readings that approach topics differently

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See the Reading List for the primary materials.

See the Supplementary Materials for additional readings.