Hierarchies and Systems

     Every system is a hierarchy, but not every hierarchy is system. A building is hierarchal, with a clear top to bottom structure, but a building isn't a system in itself but it can be a part of one.

     The definitive trait of a system is motion. The parts have to move, exchange energy and information, and do some sort of work for a specific purpose.

 In a sense all of existence is one massive system, and there are many other systems in that system.

You can arrange a hierarchal system around any geometric shape or structure. Circles, squares, triangles, pyramids, spheres, the brain, a tree, your body, any physical/spatial form or object you can arrange a hierarchy based on it.

This is important because how you arrange hierarchies will determine how well the system functions and how successful it will be at completing its purpose.

In terms of human systems and hierarchies, the arrangement of the hierarchy in governments and societies will determine the effectiveness of the systems and how well they achieve their purposes, efficiency, how much or little freedom there is within the system, and how stable the system is over long periods of time.

Simple hierarchies are often the most efficient, but are also often the least liberty based. "The most efficient form of government is a dictatorship" as the saying goes. Since no human is morally and ethically infallible, no dictatorship is ever one of liberty.

In fact, rigid hierarchies are never entirely free, but no human system has perfect liberty. The goal of the ideal system, not necessarilly the perfect one, is maximizing liberty as much as possible while also prioritizing balance and stability.

Fluid systems, like the ones you see in nature (rivers, forests, clouds, biological systems, oceans) are the most free systems. They are complex and independent of rigid confinement. They are also the most unpredictable because of their complexity. 

There has always been far more liberty in fluid systems than rigid ones in the same way a river is more free than a sidewalk, or a cloud more independent than an airship.

In terms of hierarchy, the hierarchies of fluid systems are complex and unclear. Another factor in their liberty.

Simple hierarchies are restrictive, but quite common because they are easier to design and implement than complex ones. It's far easier draw a square than a river basin. 

This is why most artificial hierarchies made by people are rigid and simple. They are easy to design and practice. Complex hierarchies are hard to engineer, and nature does a far better job of doing so than we do. 

Just look at the brain. It is a naturally occuring hierarchal system, and it is far more advanced than any artificial computer known to mankind.