# Introduction to Theory of Constraints **URL:** \ **Category:** Elliot Temple\ **Tags:** bot, cf-article\ **Created:** [April 8, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031 "2025-04-08T16:53:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/1 "2025-04-08T16:53:27Z")
Eliyahu Goldratt's philosophy, Theory of Constraints (TOC), is about _how to think_. He talks about concepts like goals, focus, bottlenecks, local optima, excess capacity and conflict resolution. * * * This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at [https://criticalfallibilism.com/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/](https://criticalfallibilism.com/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/) ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/2 "2025-04-08T17:00:10Z")
Tip: If you struggle with the section “Excess Capacity or Balanced Plants” just skip ahead. It’s the hardest and longest. There are a bunch of shorter, easier sections later. Also feel free to ask questions about it (or anything). ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/3 "2025-04-08T23:30:27Z")
> [@Elliot](#): > > Formulating our goals in words helps us consider and analyze them. Can you have a goal and subgoals in them and both the subgoals and goals have individual constraints to work with? Can you accidentally focus too much on the subgoals that you miss out on working on the constraint of the big goal? > [@Elliot](#): > > In general, there’s only one bottleneck. This is like a metal chain: a chain has only one weakest link. Is there a bottleneck in learning philosophy? Should one focus their attention on improving that? I have a few ideas of what might be the bottleneck when I try to learn philosophy(i think it’s prob motivation). I don’t know sometimes if I should be focusing on learning one thing or not. > [@Elliot](#): > > The key to focusing improvements in the right place, and making them globally effective, is to find **bottlenecks**. I really like CF’s automatization ideas and improving on skills. I liked learning that I can improve on something if I focus my attention to it and form a habit. The problem im having now is what should I focus on improving? Making so many changes for what? It’d be nice to know. ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/4 "2025-04-09T15:19:03Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > Can you have a goal and subgoals in them and both the subgoals and goals have individual constraints to work with? Can you accidentally focus too much on the subgoals that you miss out on working on the constraint of the big goal? yes if you take a whole chain, it has a weakest link. then if you take a sub-section of that chain, the sub-section also has its own weakest link. and the chain and single weakest link stuff is a simplified model to help understand the concepts. > [@Dface](#): > > Is there a bottleneck in learning philosophy? Should one focus their attention on improving that? I have a few ideas of what might be the bottleneck when I try to learn philosophy(i think it’s prob motivation). I don’t know sometimes if I should be focusing on learning one thing or not. Yes people have learning bottlenecks. But they’re different for different people. It could be motivation for one person but not for someone else. Motivation isn’t my bottleneck. And the bottleneck can change as your situation changes. You should expect to have to improve a few main things to get good at philosophy, not just one. > [@Dface](#): > > I really like CF’s automatization ideas and improving on skills. I liked learning that I can improve on something if I focus my attention to it and form a habit. The problem im having now is what should I focus on improving? Making so many changes for what? It’d be nice to know. Well, what are your interests and goals? ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/5 "2025-04-09T20:09:52Z")
> [@Elliot](#): > > and the chain and single weakest link stuff is a simplified model to help understand the concepts. ahh ok the chain and its weakest link model does help. Like if I had a chain of L’s like this LLLLL and the first L was the weakest link and then I make a subsection of the last three L’s like this LLL then that subsection has a weakest link too. > [@Elliot](#): > > And the bottleneck can change as your situation changes. You should expect to have to improve a few main things to get good at philosophy, not just one. Oh ok, I think when my motivation isnt the weakest link something else becomes it and I notice things seem too hard. > [@Elliot](#): > > Well, what are your interests and goals? **Video games** :In general, play to get good I like using practice and i think error correction to get better at Marvel rivals rn My goals are to improve on the game but also use the game to better myself. Use the game to learn philosophy **BOI, FI, CF** : i liked that BOI talked about how infinite progress is possible like in one’s life. Life doesnt just peak and then it’s over for us. I liked FI when I first saw it cuz there was actually something tangible to practice instead of just reading a book I like CF’s automatization and small skills ideas My goals are to learn CF and help the world be in a better place. Other goals i have are knowing where to start, knowing how one subject actually helps me, be good at making decisions, being able to talk to my friends and family about philosophy, and make a living using it. **Video editing** : goals are try it out to make video game guides and maybe irl guides like math or personal skills. Try to use CF philosophy in the vids to make them unique but also helpful **Music** : goals are to try it out too but use a small skills approach to slowly get better and better ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/6 "2025-04-09T21:04:32Z")
Do you like epistemology, logic, debate, science, political philosophy, or economics? Do any of them they interest you? Do you find any of them fun? One place to start is reading through all the CF articles and discussing them. Have you tried that some and run into problems? If your main blocker is motivation, why do you think you want to do this stuff? Do you have motivation issues with everything or is CF worse for motivation? > [@Dface](#): > > My goals are to learn CF and help the world be in a better place. Why do you want to do that? > [@Dface](#): > > **Video editing** : goals are try it out to make video game guides and maybe irl guides like math or personal skills. Try to use CF philosophy in the vids to make them unique but also helpful What software and hardware are you using for videos? ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/7 "2025-04-09T21:44:46Z")
> [@Elliot](#): > > Do you like epistemology, logic, debate, science, political philosophy, or economics? Do any of them they interest you? I like logic and science a little. Logic cuz you can be right about something and have a readable method for it. Used to like science a lot as a kid. Like it now cuz I like the facts from it like Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. Logic n science interest me cuz one i want to know how to be right irl and two cuz if you’re able to get science ideas you must doing something right. > [@Elliot](#): > > Do you find any of them fun? Right now i dont think so. I didn’t think before you had to have fun on them to do them. > [@Elliot](#): > > One place to start is reading through all the CF articles and discussing them. Have you tried that some and run into problems? Yeah i tried that a bit last year and i kind of dont remember the problems i ran into but some i think were I dont know sometimes if what i read is really a good idea or im just making myself like them. Others are knowing how to make the ideas make sense into in my life like how can i start living the CF way today. And I think sometimes I just read things the wrong way like a sentence from an article or something from a discussion. > [@Elliot](#): > > If your main blocker is motivation, why do you think you want to do this stuff? Because i dont like how people say do something like i already know how to get results and they just think it’ll work out fine. They dont even get whats happening under the surface. They dont get it. I don’t like the other routes for being successful cuz it just feels so random and so painful. There’s gotta be another way to live ok. > [@Elliot](#): > > Do you have motivation issues with everything or is CF worse for motivation? i think with everything not just CF. i think the bigger the goal or task the worse it gets for motivation > [@Elliot](#): > > Why do you want to do that? I dont want to just help myself. It sounds selfish to not give something back to the world. Like if the problem is that the world sucks why not do something about it and make it suck less for the newcoming people? > [@Elliot](#): > > What software and hardware are you using for videos? imovie and 2019 intel mac. I think both might be outdated for the job ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/8 "2025-04-09T21:51:06Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > I dont want to just help myself. It sounds selfish to not give something back to the world. Like if the problem is that the world sucks why not do something about it and make it suck less for the newcoming people? If you learned a bunch of philosophy but then failed at changing the world, would you regret it or would that still be fine? Changing the world with rational philosophy is really hard without getting lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/9 "2025-04-09T22:03:37Z")
> [@Elliot](#): > > If you learned a bunch of philosophy but then failed at changing the world, would you regret it or would that still be fine? I think ill regret it actually. My sibling asked me the same thing once. > [@Elliot](#): > > Changing the world with rational philosophy is really hard without getting lucky. I didnt think u had to be lucky. I thought people would see how good it really is and would make an effort cuz there would be no other way. Like they had to do rational philosophy or else life would really suck. ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/10 "2025-04-09T22:08:29Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > > [@Elliot](#): > > > > Changing the world with rational philosophy is really hard without getting lucky. > > I didnt think u had to be lucky. I thought people would see how good it really is and would make an effort cuz there would be no other way. Like they had to do rational philosophy or else life would really suck. I don’t think the world is very merit based in general. I don’t think intellectuals have good Paths Forwards. Certainly you’d need to do something better than me, or get lucky, since I don’t have a lot of fans. For me, doing philosophy is a higher priority than changing the world. I like it and want to know things. ---
**Author:** ![ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/activemind/32/5560_2.png) [@ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/ActiveMind)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/11 "2025-04-09T22:08:53Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > > [@Elliot](#): > > > > Do you have motivation issues with everything or is CF worse for motivation? > > i think with everything not just CF. Do you lack motivation for improving at video games? > [@Dface](#): > > I dont want to just help myself. It sounds selfish to not give something back to the world. Have you read through AS and FH? ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/12 "2025-04-09T22:33:28Z")
> [@ActiveMind](#): > > Do you lack motivation for improving at video games? Yeah but sometimes i dont have to deal with it and it’s nice > [@ActiveMind](#): > > Have you read through AS and FH? Yeah i only understood a little bit of it. I saw how in AS the creators wanted out of society. They shrugged ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 11:02pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/13 "2025-04-09T23:02:15Z")
> [@Elliot](#): > > I don’t think the world is very merit based in general. What does the world even want then if not truth or other merits(cant name them off the top of my head)? I dont get it. I think so too tho in a way that the world isnt merit based. Like social status or what others think is more important than truth > [@Elliot](#): > > Certainly you’d need to do something better than me, or get lucky, since I don’t have a lot of fans. I think sometimes that some of us that do want to change the world delegate to much work to you. Like how are we gonna expect a different outcome if we dont ourselves improve. > [@Elliot](#): > > For me, doing philosophy is a higher priority than changing the world. I like it and want to know things. I see thats good. I dont even know about changing the world. On the one hand, it sounds nice to live in a better place. But on the other hand it just sounds hard. I think i wanna find something i like first before thinking about that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/activemind/32/5560_2.png) [@ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/ActiveMind)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/14 "2025-04-09T23:16:32Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > It sounds selfish to not give something back to the world. Do you feel indebted to the world? Has the world given you a lot? Has it given more than you could reasonably expect to be given charitably without expectation of payback? Just asking cuz curious. > [@Dface](#): > > I saw how in AS the creators wanted out of society. They shrugged They had already given more to society than they had gotten back. In fact society was leeching off them. ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/15 "2025-04-09T23:47:32Z")
> [@ActiveMind](#): > > Do you feel indebted to the world? Has the world given you a lot? Has it given more than you could reasonably expect to be given charitably without expectation of payback? Idk actually I think sometimes the first question and third question yes. I do sometimes feel indebted to the world like it’s mean to not give some back. Sometimes it looks like others suffer as bad as me and i want them to know how to make it better. I notice im wrong sometimes tho like some things dont actually bother people at all. > [@ActiveMind](#): > > They had already given more to society than they had gotten back. In fact society was leeching off them. Oh ok that makes a lot of sense I would not like being leeched off by society ---
**Author:** ![ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/activemind/32/5560_2.png) [@ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/ActiveMind)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/16 "2025-04-09T23:55:54Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > I do sometimes feel indebted to the world like it’s mean to not give some back. > > Sometimes it looks like others suffer as bad as me I think that if you’re suffering then you shouldn’t think much about giving back. Fix yourself first and then you’ll be able to help others more efficiently. You already think this though? Since you want to learn philosophy to help the world. > [@Dface](#): > > Oh ok that makes a lot of sense I would not like being leeched off by society So you wouldn’t think of yourself as an altruist? You would like a fair and equal trade? ---
**Author:** ![Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/elliot/32/14_2.png) [@Elliot](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Elliot)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/17 "2025-04-10T16:50:17Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > > [@Elliot](#): > > > > I don’t think the world is very merit based in general. > > What does the world even want then if not truth or other merits(cant name them off the top of my head)? I dont get it. > > I think so too tho in a way that the world isnt merit based. Like social status or what others think is more important than truth The stuff that is considered high status, which social climbers and office politics participants do, is a lot of what the world wants, values and rewards. Some other stuff many people like: - conformity - tradition - praise for them or their group - attacks on other groups they aren’t members of - attacks on iconoclasts, outliers, deviants, critics, complainers, reformers who say negative things about the status quo, people who think differently (often including innovators, inventors, philosophers, etc.) - scape goats, having other people to blame for their problems - other methods of avoiding personal responsibility such as believing things are in God’s hands or that we live in a deterministic universe with no free will Some things have changed a lot since people executed Socrates, but some haven’t. More recently people drove the genius war hero Alan Turing to suicide. > [@Dface](#): > > > [@Elliot](#): > > > > Certainly you’d need to do something better than me, or get lucky, since I don’t have a lot of fans. > > I think sometimes that some of us that do want to change the world delegate to much work to you. Like how are we gonna expect a different outcome if we dont ourselves improve. yeah, if i don’t manage to change my fans much, then i’m not going to change the rest of the world much either > [@Dface](#): > > > [@Elliot](#): > > > > For me, doing philosophy is a higher priority than changing the world. I like it and want to know things. > > I see thats good. > > I dont even know about changing the world. On the one hand, it sounds nice to live in a better place. But on the other hand it just sounds hard. I think i wanna find something i like first before thinking about that stuff. If you just want a nice life, it’s definitely way easier to change your life than the broader world. ---
**Author:** ![Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/dface/32/3926_2.png) [@Dface](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Dface)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/18 "2025-04-10T22:00:26Z")
> [@ActiveMind](#): > > Fix yourself first and then you’ll be able to help others more efficiently. Yeah, I agree. Something doesn’t sound right to me about not figuring my own stuff out before helping others. Like how many of the common errors that I make actually affect my thinking about things in general? I know fixing errors won’t stop but it’s not good i think to try to play savior rn. > [@ActiveMind](#): > > You already think this though? Since you want to learn philosophy to help the world. Yeah, I want to boost my standards way up > [@ActiveMind](#): > > So you wouldn’t think of yourself as an altruist? Yeah, I forget a little what that word means, but that’s like when people think they have obligation to give back? > [@ActiveMind](#): > > You would like a fair and equal trade? Yeah, actually. It’s not right that the creators give so much for them to not get back. ---
**Author:** ![ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/activemind/32/5560_2.png) [@ActiveMind](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/ActiveMind)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/19 "2025-04-11T01:07:32Z")
> [@Dface](#): > > Yeah, I forget a little what that word means, but that’s like when people think they have obligation to give back? Here’s what I have in mind: - Putting others interest above one’s own interest. - Sacrificing your values for others. That means giving up something of higher value to gain something of a lesser value. - Sometimes people will think of things like buying bread means you sacrificed your money. I’m not using that definition of sacrificing here. If you valued the money less than the bread then it wasn’t a sacrifice. You made a trade that was in total a benefit to your interests. A synonym is selflessness. You can take that as describing people who “have no self.” The best example of selflessness, in the sense of not having a self, is Peter Keating. People wouldn’t call Keating an altruist though. He’s cutthroat and unscrupulous (not fully though, he shows guilt many times). From the outside it looks like he’s only concerned with his own interests. But he’s selfless because he has almost no genuine interests of his own. His interests lie within other people. He wants fame. He derives his self-esteem not from actual achievements that he values himself, but through others perception of his achievements. Achievements that are valuable according to them. The few genuine interests he had, he sacrificed in order to live up to the values of other people. You can only be happy if you achieve goals that are in your interests. Keating couldn’t be happy because he sacrificed his interests. I reread _Selfishness Without a Self_ from PWNI after writing this (bold added by me): > The clearest symptom by which one can recognize this type of person, is his total inability to judge himself, his actions, or his work by any sort of standard. The normal pattern of self-appraisal requires a reference to some abstract value or virtue—e.g., “I am good because I am rational,” “I am good because I am honest,” **even the second-hander’s notion of “I am good because people like me.”** Regardless of whether the value-standards involved are true or false, these examples imply the recognition of an essential moral principle: that one’s own value has to be _earned._ Keating is a second-hander, his standard is other’s people’s judgment. That’s still lacking a self. Rand brought up James Taggart in the essay, who might be a better example of selflessness than Keating. When I think of the opposite of altruism, selfishness, I think of both prioritizing your own interest first, and having your values come from your own independent judgment. Rand wrote a lot about what altruism means: > **[Altruism](https://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/altruism.html)** > > The Ayn Rand Lexicon: This mini-encyclopedia of Objectivism is > compiled from Ayn Rand’s statements on some 400 topics in philosophy, > economics, psychology, and history. It would also be good to hear the definitions from defenders of altruism such as Comte. > [@Dface](#): > > Yeah, actually. It’s not right that the creators give so much for them to not get back. But Hank was rich. He already had more than he needed. Why shouldn’t he help others who needed the money more? ---
**Author:** ![anonymous104](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonymous104](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/anonymous104)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031/20 "2025-04-11T15:22:12Z")
> [@ActiveMind](#): > > But Hank was rich. He already had more than he needed. Why shouldn’t he help others who needed the money more? If I was as rich as Hank Rearden, I would give some money to all active posters of this forum. They’d need it more. [Next page](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/introduction-to-theory-of-constraints/2031.md?page=2)