Like the Bible and On War, Boyd is quoted by far more people than have ever read his work - and his body of work, by the way, is not that extensive.

As a result, most people who talk about Boyd have a kindergarten-level view of his ideas. Not anyone on this blog, I'm sure, but most people who discuss his philosophy have never actually read anything by the man himself. So, the creation of caricatures and strawmen is often a problem in evaluating the worth of his work.

In my opinion, his thought directly reflects his experiences. It is exactly what you would expect from a pilot. The OODA loop, for instance, is a great paradigm for a furball but is not particularly useful for the operational thinker. My bottom line appraisal of the man is that he has provided us with one or two new perspectives, but his loops and circles have led to a morbid fascination with technology and targeteering that have crippled deeper thought about operational art.