Buzz
In Hollywood studios, there’s a baffling trend. When a new executive replaces the old one, they often discard all ongoing film projects and initiate entirely new ones. You've probably observed this in your own field (and I've seen it too), because that’s what new leaders do—they make changes. When it’s successful, it’s called reform; when it fails, it’s considered a catastrophe. But there is a method to ensure that the change is executed properly.
G. K. Chesterton, a writer and close friend of C. S. Lewis, discussed this concept in his book The Thing: Why I Am a Catholic:
When it comes to reforming something rather than ruining it, there is a straightforward principle, one that may be seen as a paradox. Imagine a certain law or institution, like a fence or gate placed across a road. The typical reformer, in their modern approach, walks up to it and thinks, 'I don't see the purpose of this; let's remove it.'
The more thoughtful reformer should respond: 'If you can’t understand its purpose, I’m certainly not going to let you remove it. Take some time to think, and when you can return with a clear understanding of why it’s there, then perhaps I’ll allow you to take it down.'
'Chesterton’s fence' has become a widely recognized term for the damage caused by overly enthusiastic reformers and revolutionaries. It's like the 'red tape' removed by pro-business politicians, only for a deregulated industry to collapse or harm its customers. It’s the employees who were laid off, only to later be discovered to have been the ones managing everyone else’s tasks. It’s the failure that happens when you rush in and disrupt without considering the consequences.
Chesterton created his fence as a critique of far-reaching social reforms that aimed to undermine 'domesticity' and family values. He was particularly angry about the concept of daycare. While his argument advocates for conservation, it’s not inherently a conservative one.
Do you know who truly understood the importance of capitalism? Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In fact, the first chapter of the Communist Manifesto explains how capitalists overthrew feudalism and accomplished more in a single century than all of humanity had achieved before: industrialization, chemistry, steam engines, railroads, telegraphs, and modernized farming. 'What earlier century even had an inkling that such productive forces lay dormant in the embrace of social labor?'
Marx and Engels also observed that all this newfound productivity concentrated wealth in the hands of a few, which, in fact, is the core purpose of capitalism. Their entire manifesto, whether you agree with it or vehemently oppose it in blog comments, is grounded in a deep understanding of capitalism as a massive improvement over feudalism. The most influential revolutionaries in history still respect Chesterton’s fence. Whatever changes you aim to make or role you’re entrusted with, you too can honor the fence.
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