>>330921
>Things aren't equally critical in real life. The woman ensuring the proper government forms are filled out IS NOT AS VALUABLE. It has nothing to do with money or skill.
When there's government forms to be filled out, chances are that something wouldn't be happening (or something bad would happen) if there was nobody to do so. Not that I can think of a non-government position where your entire job would be filling out government forms, without other essential paperwork.
>With a machine, there are some parts that can fail and not matter much, or can be easy to get around, or only matter in long term costs.abd wear. Others are absolutely critical, without them the machine breaks down. Game over man.
>The parking brake falling off an airplane is not as important as the rudder falling off.
Plenty of parts that won't result in immediate failure of the machine will still result in the machine failing to carry out its function. The parts that keep long term costs down could be the only thing making it economically viable to operate the machine in the first place.
The parking brake failing isn't as bad as the rudder if the plane is in the air at the time, but it's much worse if it's on the ground and the brake is keeping idle thrust from moving the aircraft. Of course, the salient point here is that the failure of either will result in the whole thing being out of action until it's repaired.
>Complex society is not really like a machine, because a machine left alone won't properly allocate the correct parts (IQ, ability, drive) to continue functioning like the market does.
Whether parts are allocated by the forces of the market or a technician doesn't affect the accuracy of the analogy. Or at least the important part of it, which is the interconnected and dependant nature of everything.
>but you have been arguing that nonessential people are just as important.
Very few organisations have truly nonessential positions. There may be people who aren't needed on a minute-to-minute basis, but they're all needed for ongoing function. As you pointed out, society is shaped by the market, and nobody is paying extra wages to unneeded personnel just for the fun of it.
>Lets say the shtf. Guy gets hit on the head. No hospital. No admin clerks. No machines that go 'ping.' Do you tell the brain surgeon don't bother, none of the other cogs are there so he can't function?
SHTF fundamentally alters the nature of the system. I'm talking about a complex society that can function indefinitely. Not a collection of isolated groups that are gradually consuming the currently non-renewable products of the system which has collapsed.
But regardless, without proper facilities, equipment and people with other skills (albeit not ones as complex as his), the brain surgeon's ability to perform his function would be severely limited.