The definition of insanity vs. the principle of the battering ram
This could drive me crazy:
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
The saying is credited to various sages such as Benjamin Franklin or Albert Einstein.
It's repeated so often I'm sure some people believe it's true.
If it were true, any ancient barbarian who tried to bash in the gate of a fortress with a battering ram was loony tunes.
You've seen this played out in countless epic motion pictures. The invaders slam their battering ram against the heavy wooden gate of the fortress, initially to no effect as defenders rain down arrows, stones and boiling oil -- yeow! It sure looks insane. But they keep hammering away, further weakening the barrier with every blow until the defense is breached, the hordes pour in and wanton slaughter and mayhem ensue.
I guess someone wasn't so insane after all. In fact, it turns out that the barbarians were practitioners of that annoying admonition some adult tormented you with every time you fell trying to learn how to ride a bicycle: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." (Probably made you want to scream, "That's the definition of insanity, you big idiot!"
But on that score we encounter another pithy little pearl: "Practice makes perfect." Not true in the case of my youthful piano playing (thanks for trying, Mom) or any other endeavor, really. But the point is, it's hardly insane to do the same thing over and over again (practicing your golf swing, for example) and expecting a different result (making better shots). It's the key to self-improvement.
In some situations, yes, repeating the wrong approach will not yield the right outcome. You might be insane if you persist despite all the evidence pointing to the inadequacy of your method. But for some jobs, nothing beats the battering ram.
Comments (8)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Hear, hear. This is one of the classic pseudo-wisdom nuggets of all time. Like variations on the "I thought I knew the answers, but then realized I didn't even know the questions" aphorism (collective groan), dull people inevitably think it is profound. There is a high correlation between people who think so and people who think John Lennon was "deep."
Posted on September 3, 2007 2:23 PM
If it were true, any ancient barbarian who tried to bash in the gate of a fortress with a battering ram was loony tunes.* Doug
Doug! A search of ancient history shows that the barbarians had no ideal what a battering ram was? Battering Rams were the high tech WMD's of their time use by highly civilize states when whipping up on other civilize states who decided to bunker down in the heat of war. Barbarians fight dirty and usually got their butte whip for being stupid and just plain dumb and thus the term " loony" fits them perfect.
However, there is one case where the barbarians try to use a Battering Ram at the battle of Wine Springs, Gaul against Julius Caesar Legions while they were camp out for the night on a farm. It appears that a elite special force unit of the Barbarians use a real Ram and try to batter down a Barn door with it thinking they had trap a herd of Cows in it.
Posted on September 3, 2007 4:23 PM
Hey B,
Instant Karma's gonna get you. Gonna hit you right in the head...Better get ytourself together...
Posted on September 4, 2007 8:51 AM
It would only be insane if the barbarians kept using the battering ram if it had NEVER previously worked, and they were losing resources and expending energy needlessly, due to magical thinking, that could be devoted to a new approach-such as catapulting plague-ridden bodies over the walls etc.
Posted on September 4, 2007 8:59 AM
The problem with the germ warfare approach is you really don't want to collect the spoils.
Posted on September 4, 2007 9:24 AM
The problem with the germ warfare approach is you really don't want to collect the spoils.* Doug
Yeah! The English found that out when the French shove their sewerage waste out over the walls of their castles. Which produce that infamous term, "War is dirty and nasty"
Later on! Both sides agree to clean up this mess by joining in a treaty call the "Clean Moat Act"
Posted on September 4, 2007 11:27 AM
You're right. That would cut down a little on the rape and pilliage and was subsequently abrogated through the actions Local 998- the Rapers and Pilliagers Union
Posted on September 4, 2007 11:47 AM
the actions Local 998- the "Rapers" and Pilliagers Union* Genghis
I had no idea that Snoop Dog was a member of a rapper Union!
It certainly explains why the drive by service is so lousy in South Central LA.
Posted on September 4, 2007 5:36 PM