Video

This lecture addresses epistemological and ontological issues pertaining to military institutional culture, as well as the ethical and moral importance of the cognitive development and empowerment of soldiers. After a brief summary of Francis’ research and of the teaching venues that led him to systems thinking and design, he addresses the importance of the Canadian soldier’s educational and meta-competencies framework, whilst confronting them to the culture of anti-intellectualism and the resistance to change at work in the institution and that act as profound impediments to such objectives. Inter and transdisciplinary in nature, the lecture proposes different concepts and approaches to capture and assess the profound meanings and impact critical thinking as well as systems thinking and design have in the operational and strategic realm of the military system. As demonstrated, the values and principles upon which the system is built should also guide the actors in their desire to transform and improve the reality on which they act, through a process of enhanced reflexivity and perception; a dynamic that helps develop conscious, autonomous, responsible, ethical, and moral actors. Francis Clermont gave this talk for “Hybrid Warfare: New Ontologies and Epistemologies in Armed Forces” workshop held at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Canada, October 16-17, 2016. For more see: https://aodnetwork.ca . For the article resulting from this conference, see: http://jmss.org/jmss/index.php/jmss/article/view/699