Having been born ignorant I am not much surprised that I had never heard of Chesterton’s Fence but it certainly seems wise, as does the augmented view provided by the writer. I’m thinking that much of biological evolution has occurred in an analogous fashion, for example the word “appendix” comes to mind. In relation to cultural evolution I think patriarchy is a baleful instance of just such a Chestertonian fence that has indeed accreted all sorts of dysfunctional attachments which will never be fixed until it is everywhere tipped over and relegated to historical museums.
Having been born ignorant I am not much surprised that I had never heard of Chesterton’s Fence but it certainly seems wise, as does the augmented view provided by the writer. I’m thinking that much of biological evolution has occurred in an analogous fashion, for example the word “appendix” comes to mind. In relation to cultural evolution I think patriarchy is a baleful instance of just such a Chestertonian fence that has indeed accreted all sorts of dysfunctional attachments which will never be fixed until it is everywhere tipped over and relegated to historical museums.
I think a related concept gets at even more of the point you’re making: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NQgWL7tvAPgN2LTLn/spaghetti-towers