Carl von Clausewitz's Concept of "Military Genius" and the Cognitive Illusions that Preclude Clear Thinking

Abstract

This paper assesses the role of intuition in Carl von Clausewitz's description of "military genius" in On War. Specifically, it addresses the cognitive biases discovered and articulated by cognitive psychologists to determine how failures of human intuition preclude clear thinking and hinder military decision making. The purpose of this paper is to add some measure of clarity based on the research of scientists and psychologists to help inform readers of how decisions are made and the cognitive errors that prevent military decision-makers from making the best possible decision given the information available at the time.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 25, 2013
Accession Number
ADA600617

Entities

People

  • Mark D. Nicholson

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cognition
  • Command And Control
  • Complex Systems
  • Education
  • Judgment
  • Marine Corps
  • Mental Processes
  • Military Commanders
  • Neurobehavioral Manifestations
  • New York
  • Perception
  • Psychology
  • Students
  • Thinking
  • United States
  • Visual Perception
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design