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

4. SCIENCE: BOYD’S FOUNTAINKnowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.Jacob BronowskiBoyd and scienceIntroductionThe following two chapters discuss the influence of science as a formative factor on thedevelopment of Boyd’s work, and the consequences of this influence on the interpretation ofthe meaning of his work. In two chapters a short panorama of the scientific Zeitgeist of Boydlifetime will be presented, in no small measure based on the same books Boyd read duringthe sixties, seventies, eighties upto the mid-nineties.Chapter 4 describes the scientific developments that occurred during the earlydecades of the 20 th Century that Boyd incorporated in his work, and which had atremendous influence beyond physics from which these developments originated. It willshow the deep and deliberate philosophical underpinnings of Boyd’s work. It continues witha discussion of the emergence of the systems view of the world during the late sixties andearly seventies, a view that is readily apparent across Boyd’s work.Chapter 5 will complete the study of the influence of the scientific Zeitgeist by takinga look at the development of chaos and complexity theory that took place during the lateseventies, eighties and nineties, developments which Boyd closely followed and incorporatedin his work (in particular in his last three presentations). Moreover, it finishes with anassessment of the implications of the findings for understanding Boyd.Hidden fountainDestruction and Creation is the first part of Boyd’s strategic opus. It is the one written work heever published besides Aerial Attack Study. It is the paper that is considered the conceptualheart of his subsequent work as well as his most impressive intellectual achievement. It isconsidered ‘the culmination of a quest to find scientific, mathematical, and logicalverification for principles Boyd knew intuitively to be true’ 1 . It is also the first indication ofthe way and extent science influenced his thinking. Far from being a coincidence, theattention Boyd paid to developments in and insights from science was fundamental andessential. It can be argued that:(a) Boyd’s scientific education followed the scientific Zeitgeist, not unconsciously, butdeliberately;(b) Boyd thought the study of war required an interdisciplinary study of science;(c) His education matured while the scientific Zeitgeist shifted;1 Hammond, p.118.78