Unintended consequences come about when a change, believed to improve the current situation, actually makes the situation worse. That these changes are often well-meaning only adds to the irony of second-order effects. One source of new problems is the substitutions made when replacing the status quo.
As I’ve started to research famous second-order effects, several of the famous historical claims (like the one that follows) seem to be “just so” stories. The claims are too simplistic. There is just one change and just one result. While these stories make for a memorable explanation, without more detail, we just miseducate ourselves on second-order effects. Continue reading “Substitutions – The Temperance Movement and Ether”