Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin - Federation of American ...

Military
Epistemologies
Introduction
in
The views expressed are the personal views of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the officially held views of the Department of Defense
or the U.S. Army.
Military Epistemology? Epistemology is nothing more
than the study of how we know what we think we know.
It is a justified belief. Justified beliefs drive how military
force is best applied and how military forces are best developed.
In the military lexicon, this can also be called
doctrine, rooted in military “science.” 1
Collective belief in the Ptolemaic solar system, based
upon the truth that the earth was the center of the universe,
lasted 1,500 years even during the emergence of
scientific evidence to the contrary. As scientific explanations
disputed this truth rather than change it, modifications
were made to Ptolemaic theory and subsequent
explanations of this truth were made to accommodate the
incremental advances of science. 2
The father of medicine himself, Hippocrates, was the
first to attribute disease to natural rather
than supernatural causes over 2,300
years ago. Hippocrates’ theory of the Four
Humors, or four essential body fluids, explained
that all illness was due to an imbalance
of these fluids. He often prescribed
herbal treatments and bed rest. It was not
until the 16th century that an alternate theory
emerged, asserting that disease came from
outside the body, disputing much of the Humors
theory. However, 18th century medical
“advances” revealed bloodletting and purging
of even the anemic patient were better
Sir Isaac Newton
by Major David W. Pendall
cures than plants and rest. Humors remained an underlying
truth of medical science. 3
Sir Isaac Newton synthesized many of the scientific
theory and insights in the 17 th century to create the foundation
of modern physics and mathematics. Newtonian
science explains our physical world, the universe, and
shapes much of our Western philosophy. Yet Newtonian
science cannot explain quarks, theories of relativity, or
the properties of photons. It seems quantum physics is
also true. Rather than replacing Newton, however, quantum
theory has its own place in explaining truth and the
meaning of phenomenon.
For Newtonian science and quantum physics to both be
different and yet true, we realize we lack a universal theory
in explaining our world and the varied contexts we live
within. In a new science world of Chaos and Complexity
Theory, network science and biological science, we begin
to think that just maybe a Brazilian butterfly
can cause a storm in Texas, six or less
people may link me to you, or that wasps
really do follow three simple rules in the
creation of vast and efficient colonies. Just
maybe.
Truth has a date-time stamp. It always
has. A review of civilizations reveals the
truths of the age more than likely reflected
the mainstream science and social beliefs
of that age. Breakthroughs in science,
which may better explain the world around
us, gain acceptance over time.
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