Science, Strategy and War The Strategic Theory of ... - Boekje Pienter

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As Ludwig Bertalanffy noted, the great shock of 20 th century science has been thatsystems cannot be understood by analysis for the application of the analytical proceduredepends on two conditions. First, the interaction between parts is non-existent or very weak,second, the relationships describing behavior of part is linear. These conditions are notfulfilled in the entities called systems, i.e. consisting of parts “in interaction” 117 . Theproperties of the parts are not intrinsic properties but can only be understood within thecontext of the larger whole. Instead of focusing on the parts, systems thinking concentratedon basic principles of organization. Analysis means taking something apart to understand it;systems thinking means putting it into the context of the larger whole. As McDermott andO'Connor assert in their overview of systems thinking:breaking a whole into its parts is analysis. You gain knowledge by analysis. Building parts intowholes is synthesis. You gain understanding through synthesis. When you take a system apartand analyze it, it loses its properties. To understand systems you need to look at them aswholes 118 .Capra notes that ‘what is destroyed when a living organism is dissected is its pattern. Thecomponents are still there, but the configuration of relationships among them - the patterns -is destroyed’ 119 .Not surprisingly Boyd recommends both analysis and synthesis to comprehend theworld, and an opponent’s system. One of the early works Boyd had read for Destruction andCreation actually centered on this dichotomy. In Two Modes of Thought James Bryant Conant,one time President of Harvard and under whose auspices Thomas Kuhn wrote The Structureof Scientific Revolutions, discussed the benefits and dangers of the theoretical-deductive andempirical-inductive approach respectively. He asserts that ‘the great scientists can and haveused both modes of thought’, without a combination science does not progress 120 . Indeed,he continues, the reconciliation of both types is essential for the continuation of a freesociety in an age of science and technology 121 .Already in Destruction and Creation Boyd devotes a considerable section towards thissystems-theoretical theme. He notes how deduction, analysis and differentiation are relatedand can be referred to as unstructuring or destruction, hence destructive deduction. But applyingthis to a “comprehensive whole” will result in parts but also in loss of order and meaning.He contrasts this approach with induction, synthesis and integration, which can be labeled ascreative or constructive induction. Both however are required:the crucial step that permits creative induction is the separation of the particulars from theirprevious domains by destructive deduction. Without this unstructuring the creation of a newstructure cannot proceed - since the bits and pieces are still tied together as meaning withinunchallenged domains or concepts 122 .Elsewhere, in order to make a point in his discourse on the essence of strategy, he notes that:117 Bertalanffy, p.19.118 Boyd, Strategic Game of ? & ?, p.10.119 Capra (1996), p.81.120 James Bryant Conant, Two Modes of Thought (Trident Press, New York, 1964), p.31. This short bookincludes several examples of scientific breakthroughs in the 19 th Century. Darwin is included in thissurvey.121 Ibid, p.91.122 Destruction and Creation; pp.5-6.102
We will use this scheme of pulling things apart (analysis) and putting them back again(synthesis) in new combinations to find how apparently unrelated ideas and actions can berelated to one another 123 .Indeed, this mode of thinking, which is in line with the ideas of Polanyi, became a keyinsight Boyd wanted to get across as an essential element of proper strategic thinking. TheConceptual Spiral revolves around this theme.CyberneticsCybernetics was the next important stepping stone in the development in systems thinking,another important theory for understanding Boyd for it introduces the element of feedback 124 .In 1948 Norbert Wiener published a book called Cybernetics, meaning steersman. Hedescribed it as the science of communication and control in animal and machine. As stated,cybernetics focuses on how systems function, regardless of what the system is – living,mechanical or social. Wiener proposed that the same general principles that controlled thethermostat may also be seen in economic systems, market regulation and political decisionmakingsystems. Cybernetics encapsulated the multi-disciplinary insights from meetings of,a.o., biologists, anthropologists, mathematicians, engineers and evolutionary theorists in the1940s. This group included also Gregory Bateson, who made wide ranging contributions to,a.o., psychiatry, and John von Neumann, one of the founders of computer science.It became a powerful intellectual movement. The practitioners were mathematicians,neuroscientists, social scientists and engineers. Their intention from the beginning was tocreate an exact science of the mind. Their investigations led them to the concepts offeedback, self-regulation, and later to self-organization, concepts that Boyd incorporated in hiswork. Figures 2 depict two simple feedback loops, which immediately show the parallels withthe OODA loop 125 .stimulus message message responsereceptorControlapparatuseffectorfeedback123 The Strategic Game of ? and ?, p.10.124 In the bibliography of Destruction and Creation along with work on Kuhn etc, he lists also MaxwellMaltz, Psycho-Cybernetics (1971). The personal papers include U.S. Anderson; Success-Cybernetics: thePractical Application of Human-Cybernetics (1970), F.H. George; Cybernetics (1971) and Y. Sabarina;Cybernetics Within Us (1969), and Marvin Karlins and Lewis Andrews; Biofeedback: Turning on the Power ofYour Mind (1973) and Norbert Wiener's The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society (1967).125 After Bertalanffy, p.43 and Capra (1996), p.59.103
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Science, Strategy and WarThe Strate
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We are survival machines.Richard Da
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CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION............
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Introduction.......................
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1. INTRODUCTIONTo flourish and grow
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testing of the decision selected by
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momentum and tempo, which in combin
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tracing the history of war Boyd saw
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in general. Referring to Karl Poppe
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constitute an argument about strate
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2. ON STRATEGY AND STRATEGIC THEORY
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its internal make up and the dynami
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strategist’s task is not to creat
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must be holistic, paying due respec
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Such a division can also be discern
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sensibility that would be capable o
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Why strategic theorizing is difficu
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truth is independent of human belie
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policy, is policy’ 107 . Subseque
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of systems of thought which will gu
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Science and Strategic TheoryDominan
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the major intellectual currents tha
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friction, which is infused with the
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3. THE SEEDS OF A THEORY AND THE FE
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Slowly his writings matured. In 196
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This situation also reflected the d
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at the cost of airspeed depletion)
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and air power theorists are notably
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Lawrence wrote Liddell Hart that fo
Page 62 and 63: The Indirect ApproachThe foregoing
Page 64 and 65: in weakening the opponent’s will
Page 66 and 67: standing in a direct theoretical li
Page 68 and 69: perfect information, so Chapter 9 r
Page 70 and 71: According with the enemy is the ass
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Page 74 and 75: mental or moral, instead they aim t
Page 76 and 77: calculation, based on the assumptio
Page 78 and 79: Turbulent environmentThis convictio
Page 80 and 81: the introduction of the M1 Abrams t
Page 82 and 83: campaign with which it was most com
Page 84 and 85: The debates resulted via the improv
Page 86 and 87: emphasized being more responsive, a
Page 88 and 89: 4. SCIENCE: BOYD’S FOUNTAINKnowle
Page 90 and 91: The list exceeds 20 pages. Indeed,
Page 92 and 93: counter-culture. He had read severa
Page 94 and 95: Popper’s Evolutionary Epistemolog
Page 96 and 97: species. Finally, theories, unlike
Page 98 and 99: discovery’ 39 . ‘We have here t
Page 100 and 101: for failure and an encouragement fo
Page 102 and 103: investigated and a change of the ru
Page 104 and 105: Paradigm shiftBeyond NewtonIn the p
Page 106 and 107: philosophical aspects, Prigogine an
Page 108 and 109: uncertainty in another “conjugate
Page 110 and 111: The link between thermodynamics and
Page 114 and 115: assessing deviation from coursecoun
Page 116 and 117: the system by the environment or ot
Page 118 and 119: A slightly more complex model from
Page 120 and 121: implementation of the right program
Page 122 and 123: The model below shows this process
Page 124 and 125: The process of learning, and the pr
Page 126 and 127: Positive indicatorsNegative indicat
Page 128 and 129: In Patterns of Conflict he also emp
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Page 132 and 133: advances in knowledge, adaptation,
Page 134 and 135: TraditionalReductionismLinear causa
Page 136 and 137: exist only because they are open. T
Page 138 and 139: Concentration of chemical ANew stab
Page 140 and 141: It preserves the web-like pattern o
Page 142 and 143: Orientation shapes the character of
Page 144 and 145: either. The edge of chaos is where
Page 146 and 147: The final region is the boundary be
Page 148 and 149: Levels of adaptationThis naturally
Page 150 and 151: Operate inside adversary’s OODA l
Page 152 and 153: Organisms which are internally cons
Page 154 and 155: The last mentioned feature implies
Page 156 and 157: mathematics, in short chaos and com
Page 158 and 159: Such efforts have lead to suggestio
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Boyd’s views on command and contr
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Several of these ideas surface in B
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problems they seek to comprehend or
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ehavior in reaction to what the oth
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sciences, which he termed a new int
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egulations, orders, and other means
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as focus for military planning on t
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A Discourse and the scientific Zeit
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Sharpening our mental capabilities
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perceive it’ 184 . By trying to c
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Ensure a large variety of conceptua
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The main intent of the effort is to
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e true. Thus tested and refined, it
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particulars or we can start with th
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inconsistencies may emerge to stifl
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although not exact1y -- since the u
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eality 29 . As indicated earlier, t
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He then incorporates a section of t
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Attack enemy’s plans as best poli
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planning process which included var
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Boyd does not find fault with these
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oth methods the same processes seem
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strategic planning in light of the
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gauged all the conditions indicated
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Blitzkrieg disrupts the connections
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- a medium to realize superior inte
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Only the fourth condition relates t
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Shape and exploit crises environmen
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penetrate an adversary to subvert,
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Maneuver Conflict - as practices by
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In light of his previous observatio
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difficult) subordinates that accept
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This then leads to the second wrap-
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mask one’s own system against any
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dimension on the behavior of a stra
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Theme for Disintegration and Collap
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Strategic AimDiminish adversary’s
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ApplicationRevisiting Sun Tzu, rein
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The general underlying idea of Coun
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to victory by connecting them to th
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destruction and creation to his inv
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Boyd’s inspiration also came in p
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The Big O: Orientation.The ensuing
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implicit cross-referencing process
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Magnify adversary’s friction and
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This differs from traditional views
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patterns that produced success in m
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General SurveyIn this section his i
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city, however, the situation is qui
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“Destruction and Creation”, by
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So Boyd discerns within the adversa
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On isolation and interactionPhysica
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The Art of Success:Shape or influen
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The meaning of strategy and the art
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however is not much different, but
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Examples from EngineeringSome Outst
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words, in order to gain a richer im
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what applies to science and enginee
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technology, is connected to the gam
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The real OODA loop270
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This relates the OODA loop clearly
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for a process of learning, of evolv
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thing any system is constantly faci
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communication and explicit directio
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8. CONCLUSIONThe history of science
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found himself in. To Sun Tzu Boyd a
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strategy. He elaborates on several
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ehavior, demonstrating the value of
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film, sociology, geography, literar
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That social scientific knowledge, o
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undertakes to improve its own perfo
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The reflexive nature of modern soci
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the context within which the situat
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“road maps for action”, but rat
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all point at the changes the techno
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central sign of post-modernity. In
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a revolution in military affairs oc
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This will affect war and warfare:
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Athena’s Camp. They see swarming
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commanders to improve their decisio
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Military War Beyond Military War No
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schemas. Gell-Mann developed the id
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extent in the novel approach for th
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ANNEX B: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PATTERNS O
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LeBoeuf, Michael, “GMP, The Great
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Wolf, Eric R., “Peasant Wars of t
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Bartolomasi, Paolo: ‘The Realitie
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Cohen, William S.: Report of the Qu
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Fukuyama, Francis: The Great Disrup
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Hughes, Daniel: ‘Abuses of German
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Lewin, Roger, and Birute Regine:
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Murdock, Paul, ‘Principles of War
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Rosenau, James, N.: ‘Many Damn Th
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Walt, Stephen M.: ‘Rigor or Rigor
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