Coram, robert boyd: the fighter pilot who changed the art of war

His Destruction and Creation essay, which Coram includes at the end of the biography, is a masterful assembly of the concepts of the Heisenberg Principle and Thermodynamics, applied to a type of his decision-making theory. Concepts of the present system of thought, combined with concepts from multiple other disciplines, can be creatively made into a composite that is more than the sum of the pieces used, and useful for further evaluation. This is essentially the synthesis used in the development of the E-M theory equations.

Coram deals as respectfully as possible with the dysfunctional family life of Boyd. Several passages leave the reader deeply saddened that such a brilliant man could be at the same time so base. He also presents the distinct probability that Boyd’spersonalityand fighter-pilot approach to obstacles caused as many personal difficulties as it remedied. Coram also reveals the truth that presentation is paramount; as Boyd’s abrasive presentation of his ideas initially caused much individual resistance, and his masterful presentation of his ideas later on was the main reason that they became widely adopted.