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

Novelty generated by the thinking and actions of unique individuals and their manysidedinteractions with each other 102 .Deeper MessageThere then is the underlying message: There is no way out, unless we can eliminate thefeatures just cited, Boyd asserts. Since we don’t now how to do this we must continue thewhirl of reorientation, mismatches, analysis/synthesis over and over again ad infinitum as abasis to comprehend, shape, and adapt to an unfolding, evolving reality that remainsuncertain, everchanging, unpredictable 103 . And if we connect this continuing whirl ofreorientation, mismatches, analysis/synthesis and the novelty that arises out of it with theprevious discussion, Boyd tells his audience, we can see that we have ‘a Conceptual Spiralfor’ 104 Exploration - Discovery - Innovation Thinking - Doing - Achieving Learning - Unlearning - Relearning Comprehending - Shaping - AdaptingHence a Conceptual Spiral for Generating Insight - Imagination - InitiativeJust to make his point very clear once more, Boyd asks the rhetorical question: Can wesurvive and grow without these abilities? 105 And of course the answer is a wholeheartedly !NO ! 106 . This suggests then, that the conceptual spiral just formulated and derived from theprevious explorations also represents 107 :AParadigmFor Survival and GrowthThe point, according to Boyd, of all this is that:Since survival and growth are directly connected with the uncertain, everchanging,unpredictable world of winning and losing, we will exploit this whirling (conceptual) spiral oforientation, mismatches, analyses/synthesis, reorientation, mismatches,analyses/synthesis...so that we can comprehend, cope with, and shape, as well as be shapedby that world and the novelty that arises out of it 108 .Boyd has thus explained the essence of these somewhat cryptic slides once more, and now inunambiguous terms. He shows how the enterprise of science, engineering and the pursuit of102 Ibid, p.32.103 Ibid, p.33.104 Ibid, p.34.105 Ibid, p.35.106 Ibid, p.36.107 Ibid, p.37.108 Ibid, p.38.267