[cap-talk] Failure isolation

[Jed Donnelley]

Heh, when I wrote:

On 3/17/2008 5:43 PM, Jed Donnelley wrote:
> On 3/17/2008 4:45 PM, Raoul Duke wrote:
...
>> so, are there polas which have worked stupendously well in a
>> non-software situation?
...
> I think it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that human
> societies generally work on a POLA basis.  I don't think any
> of us willingly give up any authority without "need"ing
> to.  How well do human societies work?  I believe better
> than they would without the POLA that they have.

I hadn't previously read (or remembered...):
_______
"The second manner of diminishing the influence of
authority does not consist in stripping society of
some of its rights, nor in paralyzing its efforts,
but in distributing the exercise of its powers among
various hands, and in multiplying functionaries, to
each of whom is given the degree of power necessary
for him to perform his duty.  There may be nations
whom this distribution of social powers might lead
to anarchy; but in itself, it is not anarchical.
The authority thus divided is, indeed, rendered
less irresistible and less perilous, but it is not
destroyed.

                            -- Alexis de Tocqueville
                               Democracy in America
                               1850
________

or (from: http://szabo.best.vwh.net/interpretingpower.html )

________
...anonymous writer from Maryland in 1776: "All men
are by nature fond of power, unwilling to part with
the possession of it...[thus]...no man, or body of
men, ought to be intrusted with the united powers
of Government, or more command than is absolutely
necessary to discharge the particular office
committed to him".
________

or MarcS's note:
_______
The United States Constitution is an exercise -- brilliant
in many respects -- in enforcing POLA upon a government
even though that government is granted an exclusive
monopoly on the use of violent force. The government
is broken into modules, and those modules are allowed
to exercise authority only through pola-enforcing facets.
_______

but I do sense a common theme here.  Maybe we're onto something?

If it's so important for human societies, maybe it makes sense
to reflect this POLA principle in the human implemented
software that does our bidding?

--Jed  http://www.webstart.com/jed/