Tactics vs. Strategy

[Pastor's Nightmare]

In chess, there is tactics and there is strategy. Tactics are the move by move calculation of every possibility. Strategy is the adherence to certain principles that have been shown to work over time.

Computers can outcalculate humans by a factor of over 1,000,000. However, it wasn't until recently that computers were able to beat the best human players. And, that was mainly due to Grandmasters programming strategic principles into the computers. Thus, despite an enormous tactical advantage over humans, the best computers aren't as good as the best human players. It is strategic principles that allows humans to have the edge over computers. Strategy is not the move by move calculation, but rather, the determination of principles, which for some reason or other, tend to lead to victory. They can't be justified on a computational basis. However, players who don't use them don't do as well and tend to loose. Thus, there is something to these strategic principles.

In much the same way, humans employ strategy and tactics in political and economic discourse as well as the implementation of a given system.

That said, a logical argument is a tactical device while a world view is comprised of many strategic principles as well as one's own feelings and sentiments. A world view encompasses a broad range of examples and counterexamples as well as situations, sentiments, and past experience.

I'm interested in knowing the types of strategic principles people use to evaluate a policy's effects and the foundations of these principles and the types of examples that form your beliefs.

[psikeyhackr]

http://www.totse.com/en/politics/economic_documents/economicwargam179613.html

http://discussions.pbs.org/viewtopic.pbs?t=28529

"All warfare is based on deception." - Sun Tzu ["The Art of War" 500BC]

<edit>

The way to mess with a system based on lies and information hiding is to distribute information that exposes the lies.

"The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to defeat the armies of your enemies without ever having to fight them." - Sun Tzu ["The Art of War" 500BC]

psik

[ashaktur]

In much the same way, humans employ strategy and tactics in political and economic discourse as well as the implementation of a given system.

That said, a logical argument is a tactical device while a world view is comprised of many strategic principles as well as one's own feelings and sentiments. A world view encompasses a broad range of examples and counterexamples as well as situations, sentiments, and past experience.

I'm interested in knowing the types of strategic principles people use to evaluate a policy's effects and the foundations of these principles and the types of examples that form your beliefs.

You raise some interesting issues here. The reason computers will never be able to outcompete humans is because they have no capacity for strategic thinking. They can be programmed with strategic principles in highly rules based environments like chess, but if Kasparov lept over the chessboard with an axe Deep Blue would be in deep trouble.

Strategic thinking comes from an intelligent organism's desire to survive and prosper - it is an outcome of needing to locate and obtain fuel to keep the organism's metabolism going. Therefore animals will show some strategic thinking capability - although it obviously pales in comparison to ours.

In answer to your question, it is not so much strategic principles that are used to evaluate policies, but a question of whether certain policies promote the strategic interests of a particular society. As an example, in Ancient Rome, economic growth was obtained through conquest - so sensible strategic policies involved building arms factories, investing in training and new military techniques, developing engineering and productive techniques like marine concrete, investing in administrative skills etc - all designed to enhance the central strategy which was conquest. Developing the arts etc where not good strategic policies in such societies because they don't enhance the primary strategy.

In our society, technological development through productivity growth drives economic growth so sensible strategic policies include investing in higher education, research and development, tax breaks for private R&D etc.

[psikeyhackr]

<edit>

The current state of the world is the result of the golbal techno-economic dominance of European culture which is obvious in the last 500 years of history. The technology of the internet provides a new terrain for a new type of global mind war.

If at all possible it is advisable to come up with strategies and tactics against which Resistance is Futile.

http://www.startreklives.de/personnel/images/locutus.jpg

psik :devil2:

[Pastor's Nightmare]

http://www.totse.com/en/politics/economic_documents/economicwargam179613.html

http://discussions.pbs.org/viewtopic.pbs?t=28529

"All warfare is based on deception." - Sun Tzu ["The Art of War" 500BC]

<edit>

The way to mess with a system based on lies and information hiding is to distribute information that exposes the lies.

"The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to defeat the armies of your enemies without ever having to fight them." - Sun Tzu ["The Art of War" 500BC]

psik

So... I own a copy of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"... I read it a while ago...

As cool as some of his quotes and stories are, it is not completely applicable...

At best... it is like trying to learn chess based on a good book about checkers...

Things have changed since 500 BC... Not everything... but many essential features of the world...

That said, I think some of the links are misguided...

I strongly recommend some books by Milton Friedman.

[psikeyhackr]

I strongly recommend some books by Milton Friedman.

:D :D :D

I watched Milton Friedman's Free To Choose back in '77. It so happened that Galbraith's Age of Uncertainty aired that same year. I watched both of them and read both books. Galbraith blew Milton Friedman away hands down, no contest. Galbraith's book is on a shelf a few feet away for me at this moment. I don't know where the book by Friedman is, I haven't seen it in years.

I understood planned obsolescence was going on in cars before I graduated from grammar school and I haven't been to an auto show since 1965. That was before I ever heard of Milton Friedman. To date I have never heard about Friedman commenting on planned obsolescence. Galbraith wrote about it in The affluent Society in 1959. But I never heard of Galbraith saying accounting should me mandatory in the schools.

http://booksliterature.com/showpost.php?p=329&postcount=3

psik

[coloradoatheist]

:D :D :D

I watched Milton Friedman's Free To Choose back in '77. It so happened that Galbraith's Age of Uncertainty aired that same year. I watched both of them and read both books. Galbraith blew Milton Friedman away hands down, no contest. Galbraith's book is on a shelf a few feet away for me at this moment. I don't know where the book by Friedman is, I haven't seen it in years.

I understood planned obsolescence was going on in cars before I graduated from grammar school and I haven't been to an auto show since 1965. That was before I ever heard of Milton Friedman. To date I have never heard about Friedman commenting on planned obsolescence. Galbraith wrote about it in The affluent Society in 1959. But I never heard of Galbraith saying accounting should me mandatory in the schools.

http://booksliterature.com/showpost.php?p=329&postcount=3

psik

You need to write your own book or go get a PhD in economics with your thesis on planned obsolescence. I'm curious if I pay someone $25 to mow my lawn that looks exactly the same way in a week, obsolenscense of that service, am I better off than someone who can't afford it?

As far as the original post, strategy would be the overall point of a legislation, such as universal health care, tactics would be how they go about it.

Mike

[psikeyhackr]

You need to write your own book or go get a PhD in economics with your thesis on planned obsolescence. I'm curious if I pay someone $25 to mow my lawn that looks exactly the same way in a week, obsolenscense of that service, am I better off than someone who can't afford it?

As far as the original post, strategy would be the overall point of a legislation, such as universal health care, tactics would be how they go about it.

Mike

That would only apply to genetically engineered grass.

I assumed the strategy and tactics applied to the individual. Universal health care would get into group strategies at the political level.

The planned obsolescence is a corporate strategy against consumers. The consumers must be aware of the enemies' strategies to devise defensive tactics. The book is already written:

http://www.amazon.com/screwing-average-man-David-Hapgood/dp/B0006W84KK

And someone has already added updates:

http://members.aol.com/rottencat1/screwmid.html

The economics profession has it's own strategy of BSing most of us on the subject of economics.

Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists. - John Kenneth Galbraith

psik

[coloradoatheist]

That would only apply to genetically engineered grass.

I assumed the strategy and tactics applied to the individual. Universal health care would get into group strategies at the political level.

The planned obsolescence is a corporate strategy against consumers. The consumers must be aware of the enemies' strategies to devise defensive tactics. The book is already written:

http://www.amazon.com/screwing-average-man-David-Hapgood/dp/B0006W84KK

And someone has already added updates:

http://members.aol.com/rottencat1/screwmid.html

The economics profession has it's own strategy of BSing most of us on the subject of economics.



psik

A thesis paper is a little more solid than just a book. With all the non-mainstream economists out there, there should be more than one person complaining and should be a major discussion in economic journals.

I read that part with all the sections and I agree with some of what he rights, but it's basically just a large rant.


Mike

[psikeyhackr]

it's basically just a large rant.

And name calling is another tactic.

[coloradoatheist]

And name calling is another tactic.

Saying he rants isn't name calling, just not specific.

For example one of the topics he talks about is insurance and complains about having insurance and there is no need for insurance. In terms of health care, the insuance method of payment we have now is bad because it seperates the consumer from the provider and doesn't control costs. However insurance by itself is not a bad thing. The only insurance you have to have is insurance in the case you hit someone else with your car.


Mike