On Grand Strategy
A too complete victory inevitably complicates the problem of making a just and wise peace settlement. Where there is no longer the counterbalance of an opposing force to control the appetites of the victors, there is no check on the conflict of views and interests between the parties to the alliance. The divergence is then apt to become so acute as
... See moreB.H. Liddell Hart • Why Don't We Learn from History?
Clausewitz offers no method to answer these questions rationally. If our only rule of thumb is that “every action must be aligned with some higher goal,” by definition there is no rational way to define that ultimate goal. How then can we provide a computer network with an ultimate goal it must never ignore or subvert? Tech executives and engineers
... See moreYuval Noah Harari • Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Giving a team enough structure to carry out a mission but enough flexibility to respond to changing circumstances is called commander’s intent—a military term first applied to the Germans who were trying to defeat Napoleon.
Shane Parrish • Clear Thinking
In reality, reason has had a greater influence than fortune on the issue of wars that have most influenced history. Creative thought has often counted for more than courage; for more, even, than gifted leadership. It is a romantic habit to ascribe to a flash of inspiration in battle what more truly has been due to seeds long sown—to the previous de
... See more