[Verse 1]
When we redesign the org chart lines
Think we've solved the strategic blindness
Every intervention that we make
Creates new distortions in its wake
The tension never goes away
Between what's good for you and what pays
[Chorus]
There are limits to design
Can't eliminate the line
Between individual gain
And collective reasoning brain
Shift probabilities, that's all
Perfect rationality will fall
Less pathological is the goal
Processing reality's the role
[Verse 2]
New incentives mean new ways to game
Different problems wearing different names
The fundamental conflict still remains
Personal rewards versus company gains
We can't engineer away the fact
That people optimize for their own pact
[Chorus]
There are limits to design
Can't eliminate the line
Between individual gain
And collective reasoning brain
Shift probabilities, that's all
Perfect rationality will fall
Less pathological is the goal
Processing reality's the role
[Bridge]
Institutional humility
Admits our capability
Is just to make things better than
The broken systems where we began
Not perfect, just improved
Not flawless, just removed
From the worst of our mistakes
Better choices, that's what it takes
[Verse 3]
So when you're tempting to believe
Your new design will achieve
A perfectly aligned machine
Remember what we've always seen
The goal is somewhat better than
The alternative we had on hand
[Chorus]
There are limits to design
Can't eliminate the line
Between individual gain
And collective reasoning brain
Shift probabilities, that's all
Perfect rationality will fall
Less pathological is the goal
Processing reality's the role
[Outro]
Every design creates
New incentive states
Less pathological
That's the goal