The essay Destruction and Creation was one of the few writings by Colonel John Boyd, the legendary military strategist and theorist. Most of his theories of synthesis and the OODA Loop were found in 100-plus overhead slides entitled Discourse on Winning and Losing that he perfected constantly over his career. Boyd’s theories remain an inspiration for anyone interested in any number of fields and domains beyond purely military. While some later scholars have criticized the OODA loop as overly simplistic to describe real-life decision making, it remains a seminal concept and visualization tool, well grounded in scientific and mathematical theory.
