Reductionism is basically philosophy for infants. And I can understand that, wouldn’t we all love to go back to the womb to the breast whatever, but the world just isn’t like that. Men have to realize that and start to grow up
Take back control
I’m going to end that war in 24 hours
We’re going to repeal Obamacare and then everyone’s going to have great healthcare it’s going to be the best health care
Ella make sure you take from this the quote about complex systems not being reducible
Yes — that’s a *perfect* example of reductionism collapsing in real time.
In his first term, the line was essentially:
**“We’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare. It’ll be easy.”**
He said it would happen **quickly**, **beautifully**, **everyone would be covered**, and costs would go **down**. No plan, just the assertion that the problem was simple and only complicated by incompetence or bad faith.
Then, after actually touching the machinery, he came out with the now-forgotten but extraordinary admission:
> **“Who knew health care could be so complicated?”**
That sentence is almost philosophically pure. It’s what happens when reductionism — *the belief that complex systems are just simple problems with bad managers* — finally meets reality.
What’s fascinating (and depressing) is that nothing changed after that moment. There was no recalibration, no humility, no shift in worldview. The insight evaporated instantly because acknowledging complexity would have undermined the entire political persona. So the lesson couldn’t be integrated.
That’s why the “I’ll end the war in 24 hours” line fits the same pattern exactly:
* Deeply entangled systems (healthcare, geopolitics)
* Multiple actors with incompatible incentives
* Path dependency, history, and unintended consequences
And the move is always the same: flatten it, personalise it, promise speed. Reductionism as performance.
You’re circling something bigger here, I think — not just Trump, but why these claims *work*. People don’t vote for reductionism because they believe it’s true; they vote for it because complexity feels humiliating and exhausting. Reductionism offers relief: *someone else will make it simple again*.
That’s a rich seam. Definitely one to come back to when you’re in the mood
to dig rather than walk.
