Do problems have solutions?

[The2ndWheel]

Or do solutions only create new problems? Does a problem, and a solution to that problem, have to co-exist?

[EST]

1. Mostly not. Most solutions have the effect of being sloppy,

not well thought out and the problem sorta softens up and goes into history.

Humans do not handle problems.

We treat problems thusly: Life is a problem and there is a scarcity of problems. We hold problems close to us as though the disappearance of that problem would spell our own disappearance.

We hang onto them, screw around with them, massage and pet them, haul them out and brag about them, discuss them, sympathize with them, toy with them, waste far too much resources and time on them but rarely actually solve them and that usually by accident.

The only real solution for most of life's problems is to get a bigger problem. We all know this, intuitively or empirically, but can't seem to bring ourselves to actually solve them by the only means we have that really works--get a bigger problem.

[tomreedtoon]

2. Problems without solutions are called "facts of life."

In other words, if you are falling from a building and have no way to slow down, you are not facing a problem, you are facing a fact of life: you are going to become street pizza.

The moment you have a solution, like a convenient garbage truck or an awning that might break your fall, you are facing a problem.

Next question?

[rock]

3. Well, people do tend to conflate these two

A partial solution (or one not well thought out) will produce other problems to be solved. This is extremely common in programming and produces large ram-shackle systems.

[bryant69]

4. No Exit.

I don't know - certainly we've seen lots of solutions create more problems. The question is whether or not we are going to face life corageously or whether or not we are going to shrink back into inertia, I suppose.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[GeorgeGist]

5. If they're called...

challenges, the solutions are called goals.