Core Series • 5 pieces

Scaling Problems

What breaks when small systems get big.

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Pieces in this core series

Scaling Problems I — The Surplus Trap

Around 10,000-12,000 years ago, humans in multiple locations independently began doing something that made their lives objectively worse:

Scaling Problems II — Stranger Problems

Let's revisit what worked in small groups and see where it breaks:

Scaling Problems III — Violence Specialization

Hunter-gatherer bands: :::flow Band camps in location A ↓ Threat appears ↓ Band moves to location B ↓ Threat can't find them ↓ No confrontation necessary :::

Scaling Problems IV — Information Overload

Before dismissing oral cultures as "primitive," recognize what they achieved:

Coordination Costs

This explainer will cover: - Why coordination costs rise nonlinearly as group size and distance increase - How transaction, trust, and monitoring costs reshape...