Posted by:
brianberkeley
(
)
Date: December 08, 2016 02:36AM
"In war, everything is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult".
Carl von Clausewitz, On War
In war everything is simple, but even simple things are difficult. This famous quotation from On War says much more than it seems.
Who has not started a project that is ostensibly simple, and yet be bogged down with extraneous consequences. This is a restatement of Murphys' law, the idea that things will go wrong at the most inconsiderate time.
Everything is simple is reminiscent of chaos theory, or the butterfly effect; that small things can have disproportionate results.
I read On War in a political theory class. This book has had a huge impact on my life. Quotes like
"War is merely the continuation of politics by other means".
have resonated with me over the years.
Everything is simple, but even simple things are difficult is a truism that seems to reflect the phenomenal world.
Who has read Clausewitz?
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