# Expectations about problem-solving complexity vs reality We generally expect and hope to go from a problem to a solution. But oftentimes, a number of questions are raised as we explore a problem space, leading to the discovery of additional problems, some of which being critical to solve to be able to find a good solution to the initial problem. So, while we like to have a simplified view of the world, the hard truth is that the world is complex, and problems don't exist in a vacuum. They're part of a problem space, connected to and intertwined with various other problems. Solving one problem requires us to find a viable path through the problem space by asking the right questions, understanding the relationships and causal chains between different parts of the graph. Through logic (induction, deduction), abstraction, exploration and experimentation. Armed with a better understanding, we can then untie the knots and find the solutions we're after. Or realize that the problem we set out to solve wasn't the right one after all.