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You say, “The system does not meet its purpose.” They respond, “The purpose of the system is what it does.”

In other words, there’s no point in arguing about the purpose. If you want the system to do something else, you have to change the system.

Ignore what anyone says the intent or purpose is/was. Is anyone motivated to change the system?

For a more traditional phrasing: "actions speak louder than words."

It's "revealed preference". The people at the controls don't want to change the dysfunctional system because it serves them personally.

Don’t think of it as a tautology, think of it as a heuristic