What is Chesterton’s Closure Principle and why does it make you think twice before making changes?

There are several paths you can take before making a decision or settling on a position. on a particular subject.

What you determine may be geared toward change or you may instead value a specific topic and want to maintain it. as if.

Of course, most situations are nuanced and the characteristics of each scenario may vary, but What is always present is that you have to make a decision .

Whatever the subject discussed, The latter can be complex on certain occasions. .

And that’s precisely why Different thinkers have taken care to present their principles to be taken into consideration.

One of them was he writer And philosopher British Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), who introduced what is today known as “Chesterton’s Fence” .

This principle suggests, simply put, that one should never destroy or modify an aspect without first knowing why it was created .

Chesterton, in addition to his famous works, He was known for his strong stances on religion and for maintaining a rather conservative line of thought. .

According to information retrieved by the BBC , in his book The Problem: Why I’m Catholic (1929) studied what this fence, named after his last name, consisted of. .

To explain it, He used an example in which two individuals collide with a fence erected in the middle of a road. .

One of them, without knowing what it is used for, offers to demolish it. while the other replies: “If you don’t see the point, I certainly won’t let you delete it. » . Go away and think. SO, When you can come back and tell me that you see its usefulness, I can allow you to destroy it. .

With that, Chesterton He wanted to propose that only when one knows the purpose of something can one decide whether that something is necessary or not, whether it should be changed or whether it should be omitted. .

“The fence didn’t grow there. It was not created by sleepwalkers who built it in their sleep (…) Some people had reason to think it would be good for someone. And until we know what the motive was, we can’t really judge whether it was reasonable. », he writes in his book.

In this direction, warned that if a comprehensive analysis is not carried out, “it is very likely that we will neglect certain aspects the entire problem. »

For example, as philosopher Jonny Thompson suggested in a column for Think big , It may be the case that even if a fence appears to be in poor condition, it is likely that it is still useful and serves a possible function such as separating livestock. .

The possibilities can be varied and Chesterton’s rule can be applied in a variety of areas, from routine personal decisions to the way political ideas are advocated or actions taken in a business. .

Concerning this last area, Another common example to explain the principle is where the entrepreneur Steve White shared in 2009 on his personal blog.

He said that, according to his experience saw this when startups grow and hire CFOs, they tend to take steps to cut costs .

It’s usual. However, identified in many cases that when they end with details such as free drink dispensers for employees, they interpret it negatively as a change in company culture.

Workers may have money to buy their own drinks, but Having them at their disposal makes them more comfortable .

In other words, what seemed to the directors insignificant and useless in terms of investment, was for them a habit that put them more at ease in the workspace.

As a result, according to Blank, many of the talents that have contributed to the growth of these companies they ended up going to others .

Examples in which Chesterton’s closure principle can be applied are numerous. .

However, this depends on each situation, as there are also many opportunities where the tendency towards change can maximize profits. in a certain scenario.

In that direction, the founding tycoon of Amazon, Jeff Bezos shared a letter to shareholders years ago in which, although he didn’t talk about fences, he referenced gates to explain his vision. .

For him, there are two types. First there are those which go in only one direction and which, once crossed, cannot be reopened. . On another side, There are two-way ones, which allow you to enter and exit. .

“Some decisions have consequences and are irreversible or almost irreversible (one-way doors) and These decisions must be made methodically, carefully and slowly, after extensive deliberation and consultation. If you go through this and don’t like what you see on the other side, you won’t be able to come back. where you were before. We can call these “type 1” decisions. »

However, he emphasized: “Most decisions are not like this. They are modifiable, reversible, they are two-way doors . If you made a suboptimal decision, You don’t have to live with the consequences for that long. You can reopen the door and come back . “Type 2” decisions can and should be taken quickly by individuals or small groups using good judgment “.

This is why Bezos suggested between the lines that tIt all depends on the criteria you apply to follow a course .

SO, Although the Chesterton Principle can be useful to consider in decision making, it is only one tool. to assess possible costs and potential benefits.