It was explained that, inspired by ideas from statistical mechanics, problems can be broken down into its constituents. However, this process is not unique. It means there are different ways to break down the same problem and therefore provide different (occasionally contradictive) solutions for the same problem. The issue is that the way a problem decays into its constituents very much depends on the big picture and how it is linked with other elements. To clarify, one looks at the big picture and decides how the problem (that should be solved) fits into that picture. Based on that the problem is broken down into its constituents. The big picture varies for different people and therefore different people provide different solutions to the same problem by breaking it down in different ways. Some solutions may look absolutely wrong and destructive when viewed in a different setting.
UPDATE 1:
This is the same as the allocation of resources in an economy. Economies thrive when resources are distributed suitably. Problem-solving is similar. Resources are limited. One can spend all to solve a few problems (or at least try to solve them). One can solve other more basic problems and let those higher-level problems be resolved automatically as a consequence.
Sometimes, the big picture decides how the resources should be allocated (and that is the correct approach). Sometimes resources have been allocated beforehand and the big picture should then be set to fit that.