10.07.2015 Views

Warning Analysis for the Information Age - Higgins Counterterrorism ...

Warning Analysis for the Information Age - Higgins Counterterrorism ...

Warning Analysis for the Information Age - Higgins Counterterrorism ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

degrees and one I took six minutes ago that shows <strong>the</strong> temperature at 71 degrees.Is <strong>the</strong> air conditioner ON or OFF?This is a problem that is totally unsolvable in <strong>the</strong> Newtonian paradigm whichdepends on instantaneous in<strong>for</strong>mation to calculate its functions—and at 70degrees <strong>the</strong> air conditioner can be ei<strong>the</strong>r ON or OFF dependent on its history. TheNewtonian paradigm will give a proper answer if <strong>the</strong> temperature is above 71degrees (always ON) or below 69 degrees (always OFF) because at those temperatures<strong>the</strong>re is only one solution. However, within <strong>the</strong> controlling “dead-band”between 69 and 71 degrees, no answer is possible by Newtonian methods because<strong>the</strong>re are two correct answers: <strong>the</strong> air conditioner is ON if it was above 71 degreesa few minutes ago and it’s cooling <strong>the</strong> room, or <strong>the</strong> air conditioner is OFF if itwas below 69 degrees a few minutes age and <strong>the</strong> room is warming up <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> nextcooling cycle. In <strong>the</strong> New Science <strong>the</strong> answer is ON because it appears to be on<strong>the</strong> cooling cycle based on <strong>the</strong> historical observation. There<strong>for</strong>e, to describe amulti-state system—one that is capable of making decisions—Newtonian methodswork only when <strong>the</strong> decision already has been irreversibly made. And even in<strong>the</strong> New Science, one will require a history of events to determine which of <strong>the</strong>multiple states <strong>the</strong> system is in now.Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, it’s even more complicated than that. The two photos show that<strong>the</strong> air conditioner is ON because it appears to be on <strong>the</strong> cooling cycle. However,that assumes that <strong>the</strong> length of <strong>the</strong> cooling cycle is more than six minutes; if <strong>the</strong>cooling cycle is only three minutes <strong>the</strong> first picture could have been taken right at<strong>the</strong> beginning of a cooling cycle and <strong>the</strong> second could have been taken after <strong>the</strong>air conditioner was OFF and <strong>the</strong> temperature drifted back up to 70 degrees. To geta correct answer, even in <strong>the</strong> New Science, one will need enough pictures takenover at least three cycles to be confident in knowing what <strong>the</strong> cooling cycle lengthis...which will also will be different if <strong>the</strong> temperature outdoors is 85 degrees or110 degrees. History matters even more.Cold War Targeting: Shoot <strong>the</strong>m all, and you’ll get <strong>the</strong> one you want. Withweaponry that could shoot faster and far<strong>the</strong>r and with a bigger boom, <strong>the</strong> advantagewas always with <strong>the</strong> side that shot first. In <strong>the</strong> Industrial-<strong>Age</strong>, pre-emptivestrike was always <strong>the</strong> best answer. There<strong>for</strong>e, intelligence was set to be verygeneric because fast reaction was key, and <strong>the</strong> old saying goes “nukes mean neverhaving to say you’ve missed.” There<strong>for</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> missile officer did not need to knowanything more than, “If I get <strong>the</strong> order, I push <strong>the</strong> button, and a city disappears.”Afghan War Targeting: Only shoot <strong>the</strong> ones who have decided to shoot you.In <strong>the</strong> In<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>Age</strong>, one needs to know more about an opponent. In Afghanistanit was not a viable strategy to shoot anyone carrying a gun because everyonein Afghanistan carries a gun, or even to shoot at anyone who’s shooting36

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!