** With permission from Chuck Spinney, April 8, 2025. **
For a solid intro to Evolutionary Epistemology, watch at least the first 33 minutes of Chuck’s 120-minute YouTube presentation.
Comments from Chuck: "This omission reinforces the voguish and airy interpretation in management circles of “disruption” as productive thinking outside the box. This is erroneously thought to be a good way to create new things. But a destructive deduction a la Boyd must be followed by a serious impulse to resolve contradictions and synthesize a solution that will work in the exigencies of real world. Otherwise, “disruption”/destruction can be a prescription for panic and chaos, which impedes real creativity...
Another minor quibble on the AI discussion of the Michaelson-Morely (M-M) experiment is that it seemed to suggest it was the only experiment that led eventually to Einstein’s theory of special relativity … i.e.,that M-M it created the need for a new world view or orientation. That is not correct. The M-M experiment is certainly the most famous experiment and historically the most documented, and most important experiment, but there were other experiments raising question during the same time frame — although in retrospect the M-M was probably the most persuasive."— Chuck Spinney (Apr 8, 2025)
Slides provided by Chuck Spinney, version 2.61: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15W4RLswfhDYMXjbkXz2EMurNv_U8tpL7/view
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This podcast is based on a presentation of Franklin C. Spinney's interpretation of John Boyd’s "Destruction and Creation" and its central role in the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), which is described as a mental process for dealing with changing circumstances. Spinney interprets Boyd's ideas and emphasizes how our mental "orientation" filters observations and continuously evolves through analysis and synthesis, driven by a need to survive and act independently. Furthermore, it explores how mismatches between our mental models and reality arise due to theoretical limitations and how this leads to a constant cycle of destroying old and creating new understandings, illustrated through historical examples such as the development of cosmology. Finally, it highlights that the ability to create new mental models ("snowmobiles") in the face of uncertainty is crucial for success.
For optimal understanding, we recommend following each podcast with the corresponding presentation slides open.
Link to presentation: https://slightlyeastofnew.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/evolutionary-epistemology-v2.5.pdf
Presentation provided by Chuck Spinney, version 2.61: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15W4RLswfhDYMXjbkXz2EMurNv_U8tpL7/view
Check out Chuck Spinneys blog, The Blaster, for deeper insights.