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Patterns of Conflict
197 pages, Unknown Binding
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2019
(This review is for the 2005 Spinney/Richards transcription.)
RECOMMENDED FOR: people who like their philosophy Applied™; Ribbonfarm diaspora; heuristics-above-rules types (virtue ethics not deontology?)
AVOID FOR: "the hedgehog knows one big thing", people seeking immediate actionable advice, rules-above-heuristics types.
As a slide deck I don't doubt this fails to capture the energy and dialogue of Boyd's briefings. Nonetheless, it's an interesting read.
- Instrumentally, I took this to be Applied Military History, written in response to the Vietnam War, and explaining play/counterplay for guerilla tactics.
- The whirlwind through the history of military theory (Hannibal, Sun Tzu, Napoleon, Marx, et al.) was useful; I know basically nothing on the subject, down to needing "one-sided pincer" explained.
- Nice historically informed segue from land-resource conflict to psychological/narrative conflict (esp. with the Marx and (counter-/)guerilla tactics sections)
- Boyd belabours the "gist" of each "case study", through a variety of lenses. It appeals to my fox-knows-many-things relativism. It also helps draw connections and subtle distinctions between, say, doctrine, mission, and "grand" strategy, presenting each subject as multifaceted.
- Conversely, the "wrap-up" dresses itself up as a grand unified theory of adversarial conflict. It's not -- it's under specified enough that there are still points to argue -- but the framing still irks me. E.g. "Shape or influence events so that we not only magnify our spirit and success but also influence our potential adversaries... so that they are sympathetic to our success." This is well-earned wisdom, but the framing makes it look more prescriptive than it is. ymmv
RECOMMENDED FOR: people who like their philosophy Applied™; Ribbonfarm diaspora; heuristics-above-rules types (virtue ethics not deontology?)
AVOID FOR: "the hedgehog knows one big thing", people seeking immediate actionable advice, rules-above-heuristics types.
As a slide deck I don't doubt this fails to capture the energy and dialogue of Boyd's briefings. Nonetheless, it's an interesting read.
- Instrumentally, I took this to be Applied Military History, written in response to the Vietnam War, and explaining play/counterplay for guerilla tactics.
- The whirlwind through the history of military theory (Hannibal, Sun Tzu, Napoleon, Marx, et al.) was useful; I know basically nothing on the subject, down to needing "one-sided pincer" explained.
- Nice historically informed segue from land-resource conflict to psychological/narrative conflict (esp. with the Marx and (counter-/)guerilla tactics sections)
- Boyd belabours the "gist" of each "case study", through a variety of lenses. It appeals to my fox-knows-many-things relativism. It also helps draw connections and subtle distinctions between, say, doctrine, mission, and "grand" strategy, presenting each subject as multifaceted.
- Conversely, the "wrap-up" dresses itself up as a grand unified theory of adversarial conflict. It's not -- it's under specified enough that there are still points to argue -- but the framing still irks me. E.g. "Shape or influence events so that we not only magnify our spirit and success but also influence our potential adversaries... so that they are sympathetic to our success." This is well-earned wisdom, but the framing makes it look more prescriptive than it is. ymmv
July 9, 2018
OODA loop.
explains so much
explains so much
July 7, 2025
Exceptional work and highly relevant to personal life as well.
March 31, 2016
OODA loop, The visuals of the presentation for battles could have been clearer, but the content is revolutionary for how it can apply to all environments, including those in business.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews