Chris Dalton's Personal Development Blog

While away in Japan, I am reading a book called ‘the Rules are no Game’, by Anthony Wilden. This is a very unusual book, exploring communication, information and  –  luckily for me at the moment given current project – strategy. It’s already throwing up some gems, as the extract below illustrates, and promises much in the way of a Batesonian influence in thinking.

      “Scientia potestas est: ‘knowledge is power’. So said Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), pioneer of modern science. But not all knowledge is equally powerful. Knowledge of codes, knowledge of structure, knowledge of strategy – this is not mere knowledge, but literacy. Literacy is power.” (Wilden, 1987 p. 58)

I like the contrast between knowing something and being literate in it. Another quotable entry in the introductory chapter (an overview of the subject of history in strategy) is this:

        “You cannot beat strategy with tactics.” (p. 48)

Wilden is fond also of Sun Tzu on strategy, something that I perhaps need to revisit.

In other news, the solar-powered plane on its way across the immensely challenging Pacific leg of a round-the-world trip has turned back from launch in Japan. No shortage of sunshine here, but the weather out in the ocean looked threatening. 
Reference

Wilden, A. (1987), The Rules Are No Game: the strategy of communication, Routledge.