Numerous books have been written declaring simple solutions to complex problems. Complex answers, however, are what's needed for several reasons.

Numerous books have been written over the years advertising on their front page "Simple Solutions to the Great Problems" or some variation of it. Many of these books sell very well, the most recent one being An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck.

This isn't a review of the book, but rather an appraisal of the opposite of what the book claims to be. Complex problems do not require (or provide) simple solutions. Rather, complex problems require complex solutions.

Why Complex Solutions Are Better for Complex Problems

If one appreciates the complexity of a problem, one can just as easily embrace and marvel at the complexity of its solution. Complex solutions provide three things that simple solutions cannot:

• Placing the problem in a wider context;
• Appreciating the complexity of the problem; and
• Seeing to it that double standards or other inconsistencies do not occur.

By placing the problem in a wider context, one must understand how the problem came into being or whether it is part of a larger trend that requires us to answer other questions. Simple answers cannot accomplish this because they are not concerned with the historical background or comparissons with similar problems, rather they are concerned with conveniently solving the particular problem in question while leaving the wider questions unanswered.

As stated above, complex problems require complex solutions because in order to form an adequate complex solution, the complexities of the problem must be thoroughly examined. Saying a problem is complex is one thing, looking at every detail of it in order to form a logical solution is another, since the solution must form a logical conclusion based on the individual details and be consistent with wider conclusions drawn from the entire problem.

Lastly, simple solutions do not address similar problems in comparable environments. Going back to An Inconvenient Book, Beck spends much of the book criticizing Islamic fundamentalism. That's well enough for a simple solution, but for a complex solution, it is important to look at all religious fundamentalism, especially the Abrahamic religions of Judaism and Christianity as well as Islam (they worship the same God, after all).

People Still Want Simple Solutions

Of course when one does realize that a problem is not simple but complex, the urge is to yield to the simple solution. Complexity is part of what makes problem solving fun. It is what makes investigations and inquiries take so long and it takes hard math problems so long to finish. Some may like it, some may not, but both recognize the complexity of the problem.

After all, what good would problem solving be if problem solvers never had to investigate their problem thoroughly?