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A Discourse on Winning and Losing
To flourish and grow in a many sided, uncertain and ever
changing world that surrounds us, suggests that we have to make intuitive within ourselves those many practices we need to meet the exigencies of that world. The contents, hence the five sections, that comprise this 'Discourse' unfold observations and ideas that contribute toward achieving or thwarting such an aim
or purpose.
Specifically:
'Patterns of Conflict' represents a compendium of ideas
and actions for winning and losing in a highly
competitive world.
’Organic Design for Command and Control' surfaces the
implicit arrangements that permit cooperation in
complex, competitive, fast moving situations.
’The Strategic Game of ? and ?' emphasizes the mental
twists and turns we undertake to surface appropriate
schemes or designs for realizing our aims or purposes.
’Destruction and Creation' lays out in abstract but
graphic fashion the ways by which we evolve mental
concepts to comprehend and cope with our environment:
'Revelation' makes visible the metaphorical message
that flows from this 'Discourse'.
changing world that surrounds us, suggests that we have to make intuitive within ourselves those many practices we need to meet the exigencies of that world. The contents, hence the five sections, that comprise this 'Discourse' unfold observations and ideas that contribute toward achieving or thwarting such an aim
or purpose.
Specifically:
'Patterns of Conflict' represents a compendium of ideas
and actions for winning and losing in a highly
competitive world.
’Organic Design for Command and Control' surfaces the
implicit arrangements that permit cooperation in
complex, competitive, fast moving situations.
’The Strategic Game of ? and ?' emphasizes the mental
twists and turns we undertake to surface appropriate
schemes or designs for realizing our aims or purposes.
’Destruction and Creation' lays out in abstract but
graphic fashion the ways by which we evolve mental
concepts to comprehend and cope with our environment:
'Revelation' makes visible the metaphorical message
that flows from this 'Discourse'.
- GenresMilitary FictionWar
392 pages, Spiral-bound
First published August 1, 1987
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159 people want to read
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September 27, 2019recommendation: [MattG2 - LessWrong 2.0](https://www.lesswrong.com/users/mattg2)
> This is exactly what he did with "The Discourse on Winning and Losing"
>
> Boyd is one of my favorite examples of a great process modeler and meta-level thinker because he did it at every level of his career:
>
> Process modelling of why he was such a good fighter-pilot led to EM theory.
>
> Process modelling of why EM theory worked led to OODA loop.
>
> Process Modelling of how he kept doing great process modelling (including the OODA loop) led to "Destruction and Creation" and Process modelling of how the OODA loop worked led to "A Discourse on Winning and Losing"
> This is exactly what he did with "The Discourse on Winning and Losing"
>
> Boyd is one of my favorite examples of a great process modeler and meta-level thinker because he did it at every level of his career:
>
> Process modelling of why he was such a good fighter-pilot led to EM theory.
>
> Process modelling of why EM theory worked led to OODA loop.
>
> Process Modelling of how he kept doing great process modelling (including the OODA loop) led to "Destruction and Creation" and Process modelling of how the OODA loop worked led to "A Discourse on Winning and Losing"
August 4, 2022
The strategic concepts are fundamental and brilliant. But the book is basically a compilation of Boyd’s slide decks. While interesting, they really need explanation to be more than a smattering of Svengali like ideas.
October 13, 2024
operational masterwork
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews