Samenvatting

It is argued that both continuous improvement and growth in one direction, are (sometimes partly) based on the illusion of control. It is precisely through our actions, by exerting as much control as possible over both natural and artificial processes, that we make things worse, often despite our good intentions. While the illusion of control makes us feel content with our lives, it does not contribute to a sustainable world in the long term. To believe in ones continuous improvement is to drastically overestimate ones own control, without considering the possibility of being wrong. Taking the hypothesis for granted in advance, hoping to arrive at a sustainable synthesis by chance, is like throwing stones at random to create Big Ben by chance. The casino might be more rational.