Finding and changing abstraction layers
How can we find useful layers of abstraction, keep what still works when they fail, and seek a better layer?
An open enquiry starting from Herbert A. Simon’s The Architecture of Complexity (1962).
Essai 1 · 2 July 2026
A proposed heuristic kit
The first model response turns Simon’s ideas into questions, failure signals and possible layer changes, with two illustrative applications.
Essai 2 · 19 October 2026
When may we forget the detail?
A synthetic test asks when exact room averages conceal a difference that matters to the next decision.