Wicked Problems

Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber have isolated 10 characters of
a "Wicked Problem" :

1. There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but better or worse.
4. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial-and-error, every attempt counts significantly.
6. Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan.
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
9. The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. The choice of explanation determines the nature of the problem's resolution.
10. The planner has no right to be wrong (planners are liable for the consequences of the actions they generate).

Wicked Problems are social planning problems. The trouble is that a WP are hard to identify, they exist in an area of "Primary Uncertainty" and the worst ones happen over a long period of time. Primary uncertainty is when you are not sure of anything. It is as if someone said: "Pick 5 numbers." You don't know if they mean Roman Numberals or Arabic Numberals, and you don't know if the continuum contains negative integers and when it ends (25? 1595382843749?)

It almost looks like there can be no practical application for this concept but you can use this as a lens to view the problem of human-exacerbated climate change. Thankfully, there isn't primary uncertainty in this situation but as it is people who make policies and humans are not always rational there is still a form of uncertainty. The problem of Global Warms is apparent but there are so many factors that complicate estimates to the exact size of the problem and the exact size of the negative consequences of inaction or certain types of action. Though there are complicating factors we know the problem ranges from huge - very huge and the consequences rage from severe to very severe. These ranges should be enough to incentivize action. People who deny climate change try to frame the issue as a Wicked Problem. It is tempting to do so. When it comes to geoengineering, the potential negative consequences (ones that wont be felt for a long time) are typical of a wicked problem.

Solutions to WPs:

Authoritative: Putting the responsibility for solving the problem in the hands of a very small group. This makes the issue less complicated which is an advantage.

Competitive: The different sides are divided and each puts forth their solution. Then the solutions are compared. The adversarial approach has all the advantages and disadvantages of any adversarial system.

Collaborative: Bringing those who are affected by the problem into planning possible solutions. This is a time-consuming process but involving many opinions can give much needed perspective and information
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