A really terrific documentary on this subject which I go back to watch every now and then is The Fog of War, 11 Lessons from the life of Robert McNamara. Controversial figure no doubt, but he certainly lived an important life with influence at high levels of power during key moments in history. I enjoyed it because he opens up emotionally about lessons and mistakes in a way rarely seen from people formerly in powerful positions.
The 11 lessons are:
Empathize with your enemy
Rationality will not save us
There's something beyond one's self
Maximize efficiency
Proportionality should be a guideline in war
Get the data
Belief and seeing are often both wrong
Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning
In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil
Never say never
You can't change human nature
The entire documentary is on youtube:
|