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

of systems of thought which will guide the soldier, general, statesman, or citizen toappreciate the situation and to act so that victory may be won’ 117 .This is indeed what Boyd did. Considering the nature of and method applied inBoyd’s work, understanding his work, and appreciating it, will require an examination from avariety of angles, taking insights from a number of disciplines and bodies of knowledge.Boyd adopted a holistic multidisciplinary approach, and an awareness of his sources ofinspiration is essential. The next three chapters therefor describe the various factors thatinfluenced and shaped Boyd’s work. Understanding the formative factors of Boyd’s workwill offer a conceptual lens through which to read, understand and appreciate Boyd’spresentations and arguments. They shed light on the reasons why he developed hisarguments the way he did, as well as the meaning of his statements.As sociologist Todd Stillman observes on social theory and social theorists,understanding the context in which theories are formed is useful for assessing the strengthand limitations of a theory. Theorists are influenced by both intellectual and social factors.These factors can be subdivided into factors internal to the discipline and factors external tothe discipline. Internal intellectual factors include the influence of schools and traditions ofthought on a theorist. This includes cognitive paradigms, changes in paradigms, andmetatheoretical tool. External intellectual factors include ideas borrowed from otherdisciplines. Internal social factors include the influence of social networks on a theorist’swork. External social factors include the impact of historical change on the structure andinstitutions of the society being theorized 118 . All of these influences can be traced in Boyd’swork.Recent studies into the formative factors of strategic theory too suggest that severalbut specific factors shape and explain the development of a certain theory of conflict in aparticular period, in a particular country or by a specific author. Both Azar Gat and AviKober have highlighted how formative factors such as listed below influenced thedevelopment of strategic theory in a specific time 119 . Each one will briefly be discussed toclarify the dynamic.• the nature of war during successive periods;• the specific strategic circumstances of the countries involved;• the personal and professional experience of the particular thinker;• the intellectual and cultural climate of the period in question;Experience, predecessors and pressing needsThe nature of war affected writers such as Clausewitz, Jomini, Mahan and Liddell Hart.Clausewitz and Jomini where deeply affected by the drift towards total war, a process thathad started during the French Revolution and continued during the Napoleonic wars, andtheir thinking is dominated by the role of the masses in war 120 . The work of Jomini andMahan reflect the growing emphasis on the logistic factor in modern war, fought betweenlarge armies which, in everything connected with armament, equipment and food and other117 Wright, p.149.118 Stillman, in Ritzer, p.3.119 Avi Kober (1994), p.268. Actually he also states that the way lessons are learned affect militarytheory. However, Kober fails to show to what extend it is markedly different in its effect on theorymaking as compared to the more thoroughly discussed factor of the nature of war.120 Ibid, p.272.32