Sunday, January 30, 2005
Why Governments Repeat Their Mistakes
By way of Barbara Tuckman's The March of Folly, John M. Novaks says governments repeat their mistakes because...
In the end, the follies of government may be named the failings of people. Those who endow a government with behavior are people with opinions and ideals. When those beliefs of individuals conflict with reality, human nature will often deny reality. Face and position become staked in the correctness of policy, and policy hardens in reaction; it becomes easier to follow consequences to their bitter end rather than face reality and change policy, with the resulting loss of face -- a sense that it is better to go for a supposed tiny chance of success, despite severe effects of failure, rather than accept the certainty of an already-failed policy, even though that acceptance would be better for the parties involved. This sort of mule-headed rejection of facts is endemic in human nature; it seems that no government to date has successfully eliminated its effects. Understanding history may at least allow us to reduce the damage of such behavior...
John M. Novak
www.johnmnovak.com
His direct application was Bush's current undertaking in Iraq. In other words, the principle Americans use for choosing an SUV, a fatty hamburger, or running the government is essentially the same.
He's right!
In the end, the follies of government may be named the failings of people. Those who endow a government with behavior are people with opinions and ideals. When those beliefs of individuals conflict with reality, human nature will often deny reality. Face and position become staked in the correctness of policy, and policy hardens in reaction; it becomes easier to follow consequences to their bitter end rather than face reality and change policy, with the resulting loss of face -- a sense that it is better to go for a supposed tiny chance of success, despite severe effects of failure, rather than accept the certainty of an already-failed policy, even though that acceptance would be better for the parties involved. This sort of mule-headed rejection of facts is endemic in human nature; it seems that no government to date has successfully eliminated its effects. Understanding history may at least allow us to reduce the damage of such behavior...
John M. Novak
www.johnmnovak.com
His direct application was Bush's current undertaking in Iraq. In other words, the principle Americans use for choosing an SUV, a fatty hamburger, or running the government is essentially the same.
He's right!
