observations of life through the lenses of warfare, by the former US Secretary of Defense
1. Empathize with your enemy
pause and understand where your enemy's coming from, and tailor solutions. the world would be a better place.
2. Rationality will not save us
even a dilemma involving the most rational of men can produce the most irrational of answers. accept that other factors can come into play. like luck.
3. There's something beyond one's self
values, morals, philosophy - these arent things we can claim to know or ever acquire. there are things out there we cannot control.
4. Maximize efficiency
5. Proportionality should be a guideline in war
how much is enough and how much is too much? proportionality asks not just if a solution fits a problem, but analyses the trade-off if the solution is not implemented.
6. Get the data
people tend to assume or rest on their laurels. if someone bothers to harvest statistics, things will be much clearer and solutions will arrive.
7. Belief and seeing are often both wrong
beliefs are often in sync with preconceived notions. we are programmed to pick up only what we want to believe. seeing it only reinforces that, without necessarily being the facts of the matter.
8. Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning
when your friends dont agree with you, your reasoning, no matter how right it seems, may be deeply flawed.
9. In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil
can good be achieved through purely good means?
10. Never say never
11. You can't change human nature
there's no hindsight to speak of at the incidence of things. we can never understand all the complex variables of a situation, and we'll make mistakes. reason has its limits. being sorry should be the norm.
