To Design or Not to Design (Part Two)
To Design or Not to Design (Part Two):
The There Is a Problem with the Word 'Problem;' How Unique Vocabulary Is Essential to Conceptual Planning
by Ben Zweibelson
Download the Full Article: To Design or Not to Design (Part Two)
Costello: "Well then who's on first?"
Abbott: "Yes."
Costello: "I mean the fellow's name."
Abbott: "Who."
Costello: "The guy on first."
Abbott: "Who."
Costello: "The first baseman."
Abbott: "Who."
Costello: "The guy playing…"
Abbott: "Who is on first!"
Costello: "I'm asking YOU who's on first."
Abbott: "That's the man's name."
FM5-0 Chapter 3 Design discusses a critical component to conceptual planning and phrases it with "solving the right problem." However, military doctrine and institutional culture already employ the word problem for an entirely different and valid reason. Should one ask any tactical-level member of a military unit what their understanding of the word problem is in a military setting, the majority will explain to you that a problem is 'something one solves.' The existing word meaning uses a short-term or tactical perspective that is divorced from the larger context in which design theory provides understanding on metaphysical processes. These processes exceed the artificial boundaries imposed by the military institution's valid definition of a tactical problem; the perspectives do not match.
Download the Full Article: To Design or Not to Design (Part Two)
Major Ben Zweibelson is an active duty Infantry Officer in the US Army. A veteran of OIF 1 and OIF 6, Ben is currently attending the School for Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has a Masters in Liberal Arts from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Military Arts and Sciences from the United States Air Force (Air Command and Staff College program). Ben deploys this June to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as a planner.
Editor's Note: This is part two of a six part series on design. Part one can be found here.
