--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The social system tends to be dominated…" description: "\"The social system tends to be dominated by images... especially of the future, which act cybernetically, constantly guided by perceived divergences bet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_divergence_the-social-system-tends-to-be-dominated_2426957.png" --- # The social system tends to be dominated by images… ![“The social system tends to be dominated by images... especially of the future, which act cybernetically, constantly guided by perceived divergences between the real and the ideal.” quote by Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_divergence_the-social-system-tends-to-be-dominated_2426957.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_divergence_the-social-system-tends-to-be-dominated_2426957.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_divergence_the-social-system-tends-to-be-dominated_2426957.png) > “The social system tends to be dominated by images... especially of the future, which act cybernetically, constantly guided by perceived divergences between the real and the ideal.” [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal visions shape reality, creating feedback loops between ideals and actual conditions. **In simple terms:** Ideas about the future influence present actions. Key Takeaway Align visions with realistic steps. Themes vision feedback societal dynamics Mood analytical critical Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - policy planning - urban development - technology forecasting - education reform Key Concepts systems theory cybernetics ideal vs real Questions to Reflect On - What visions guide your current decisions? - How do you reconcile ideal goals with reality? A Different Perspective Idealized images may diverge sharply from practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cybernetically Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybernetically-constantly-6157439/) [Divergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divergence/) [Dominated Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominated-images-6157438/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Images Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/images-especially-6157440/) [Perceived Divergences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceived-divergences-6157437/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-systems/) [Tends Dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tends-dominated-6157441/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Deep divergence is defined as divergent thinking to its most extreme levels, far beyond what is probable, beyond what is possible, and into an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-molesworth/deep-divergence-is-defined-as-divergent-thinking-to-its-most-extreme/) [Kevin Molesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-molesworth/) > [“Divergence is extremely dangerous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-divergent-by-v-roth/divergence-is-extremely-dangerous/) [Tori Divergent by V.Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-divergent-by-v-roth/) > [The idea of polytheism is grounded in the view that reality (divine or otherwise) is multiple and diverse... Polytheism has allowed a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-adler/the-idea-of-polytheism-is-grounded-in-the-view-that-reality-divine-or/) [Margot Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-adler/) > [There is a divergence between private and social accounting that the market fails to register. One essential task of law and government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/there-is-a-divergence-between-private-and-social-accounting-that-the/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [In the beginning God said, the four-dimensional divergence of an antisymmetric, second rank tensor equals zero, and there was light, and it was good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-the-beginning-god-said-the-four-dimensional-divergence-of-an/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“We had often read the same books at night in the same bed, and later realized that they had touched us in different places:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-had-often-read-the-same-books-at-night-in-the-same-bed-and-later/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a year than the average German. A thousand. ... That is the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousand-hours-more-a-year-than-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [ \[In\] every revolution, there is a great divergence between what the revolutionaries expect and what the revolution actually accomplishes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akbar-ganji/in-every-revolution-there-is-a-great-divergence-between-what-the/) [Akbar Ganji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akbar-ganji/) > [How do we give credible hope to the billion poorest people in the world? It requires compassion to get ourselves started, and enlightened self-interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collier/how-do-we-give-credible-hope-to-the-billion-poorest-people-in-the/) [Paul Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collier/) > [I don't think there are huge divergences between my personality and what they see on TV. And I think that's why I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/i-don-t-think-there-are-huge-divergences-between-my-personality-and/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [It is natural that people should differ most, and most violently, about the unknowable . . . There is all the room in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/it-is-natural-that-people-should-differ-most-and-most-violently-about/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) > [“The life of a writer is directed by a mad impulsive muse, that can tell them to cancel all their storyline: a creative divergent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-life-of-a-writer-is-directed-by-a-mad-impulsive-muse-that-can/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [The proof given by Wright, that non-adaptive differentiation will occur in small populations owing to "drift," or the chance fixation of some new mutation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-proof-given-by-wright-that-non-adaptive-differentiation-will/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [“As such, the usual pattern of interaction between a critical juncture and existing institutional differences leading to further institutional and economic divergence played out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/as-such-the-usual-pattern-of-interaction-between-a-critical-juncture/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [There is always a divergence between our perception and what actually exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/there-is-always-a-divergence-between-our-perception-and-what-actually/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) ## More by Kenneth E. Boulding > [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [If we saw tomorrow's newspaper today, tomorrow would never happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/if-we-saw-tomorrow-s-newspaper-today-tomorrow-would-never-happen/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [It is clear that the building of models is not a purely mechanical process but requires skill of a high order - not merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/it-is-clear-that-the-building-of-models-is-not-a-purely-mechanical/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Even personal tastes are learned, in the matrix of a culture or a subculture in which we grow up, by very much the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/even-personal-tastes-are-learned-in-the-matrix-of-a-culture-or-a/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [In view of the importance of philanthropy in our society, it is surprising that so little attention has been given to it by economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-view-of-the-importance-of-philanthropy-in-our-society-it-is/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Humble, honest, ignorance is one of the finest flowers of the human spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/humble-honest-ignorance-is-one-of-the-finest-flowers-of-the-human/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [ \[The question for the behavioral disciplines is simply\] what is better, and how do we get there? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/the-question-for-the-behavioral-disciplines-is-simply-what-is-better/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [ \[Even the mechanism can be endowed with an image. Thus\] the thermostat has an image of the outside world in the shape of information… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/even-the-mechanism-can-be-endowed-with-an-image-thus-the-thermostat/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Economic problems have no sharp edges. They shade off imperceptibly into politics, sociology, and ethics. Indeed, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/economic-problems-have-no-sharp-edges-they-shade-off-imperceptibly/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [The world moves into the future as a result of decisions, not as a result of plans. Plans are significant only insofar as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/the-world-moves-into-the-future-as-a-result-of-decisions-not-as-a/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Mathematicians themselves set up standards of generality and elegance in their exposition which are a bar to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/mathematicians-themselves-set-up-standards-of-generality-and-elegance/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [The concept of need is often looked upon rather unfavorably by economists, in contrast with the concept of demand. Both, however, have their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/the-concept-of-need-is-often-looked-upon-rather-unfavorably-by/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Conventions of generality and mathematical elegance may be just as much barriers to the attainment and diffusion of knowledge as may contentment with particularity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/conventions-of-generality-and-mathematical-elegance-may-be-just-as/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Nothing fails like success, because we do not learn anything from it. We only learn from failure, but we do not always learn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/nothing-fails-like-success-because-we-do-not-learn-anything-from-it/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [At the opposite pole from the gift is tribute - that is, a grant made out of fear and under threat. A threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/at-the-opposite-pole-from-the-gift-is-tribute-that-is-a-grant-made/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) [Explore all 123 Kenneth E. Boulding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) ## More Divergence quotes > [“Deep divergence is defined as divergent thinking to its most extreme levels, far beyond what is probable, beyond what is possible, and into an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-molesworth/deep-divergence-is-defined-as-divergent-thinking-to-its-most-extreme/) [Kevin Molesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-molesworth/) > [“As such, the usual pattern of interaction between a critical juncture and existing institutional differences leading to further institutional and economic divergence played out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/as-such-the-usual-pattern-of-interaction-between-a-critical-juncture/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [The proof given by Wright, that non-adaptive differentiation will occur in small populations owing to "drift," or the chance fixation of some new mutation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-proof-given-by-wright-that-non-adaptive-differentiation-will/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [“The life of a writer is directed by a mad impulsive muse, that can tell them to cancel all their storyline: a creative divergent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-life-of-a-writer-is-directed-by-a-mad-impulsive-muse-that-can/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [It is natural that people should differ most, and most violently, about the unknowable . . . There is all the room in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/it-is-natural-that-people-should-differ-most-and-most-violently-about/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) > [I don't think there are huge divergences between my personality and what they see on TV. And I think that's why I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/i-don-t-think-there-are-huge-divergences-between-my-personality-and/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [How do we give credible hope to the billion poorest people in the world? It requires compassion to get ourselves started, and enlightened self-interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collier/how-do-we-give-credible-hope-to-the-billion-poorest-people-in-the/) [Paul Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collier/) > [ \[In\] every revolution, there is a great divergence between what the revolutionaries expect and what the revolution actually accomplishes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akbar-ganji/in-every-revolution-there-is-a-great-divergence-between-what-the/) [Akbar Ganji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akbar-ganji/) > [Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a year than the average German. A thousand. ... That is the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousand-hours-more-a-year-than-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“We had often read the same books at night in the same bed, and later realized that they had touched us in different places:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-had-often-read-the-same-books-at-night-in-the-same-bed-and-later/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [In the beginning God said, the four-dimensional divergence of an antisymmetric, second rank tensor equals zero, and there was light, and it was good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/in-the-beginning-god-said-the-four-dimensional-divergence-of-an/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [There is a divergence between private and social accounting that the market fails to register. One essential task of law and government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/there-is-a-divergence-between-private-and-social-accounting-that-the/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [The idea of polytheism is grounded in the view that reality (divine or otherwise) is multiple and diverse... Polytheism has allowed a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-adler/the-idea-of-polytheism-is-grounded-in-the-view-that-reality-divine-or/) [Margot Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-adler/) > [“Divergence is extremely dangerous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-divergent-by-v-roth/divergence-is-extremely-dangerous/) [Tori Divergent by V.Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-divergent-by-v-roth/) > [There is always a divergence between our perception and what actually exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/there-is-always-a-divergence-between-our-perception-and-what-actually/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) [Browse all 42 Divergence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divergence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The social system tends to be dominated by images... especially of the future, which act cybernetically, constantly guided by perceived divergences between the real and the ideal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenneth E. 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