Saturday, May 17, 2008
WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN EXPERIENCE AND JUDGMENT?
A silly discussion on CNN of experience and judgment left unexamined the relation between the two. Many sorts of experience do not lead to having sound judgment in strategic military decisions. Following orders as a fighter pilot is not that sort of experience, any more than front line experience as a company cook. People who do have the relevant experience make big mistakes, for example, MacArthur and Churchill. Moreover, when the red phone rings in the White House, it will be too late to exercise judgment. We must ask the candidates for President to demonstrate their judgment when they pick advisors and consult with them to arrive at a repertoire of effective reactions to crises coming over the phone.
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The proposition that Presidential candidates demonstrate their judgment when they pick advisors does not seem to address the tension in the experience/judgment debate. Should we say that a candidate with more experience at picking assistants and advisors will make a better president, a al Bush and Romney? Or, are we to say that judgment on these matters is indpendent of experience, or at least extensive experience, which would allow someone to still support Obama even though he lacks such experience? How would potential voters use this information to help them in their decisions? How would having a list of cabinet appointments for Clinton prior to the election help me evaluate her unless I already knew all there was to know about the potential cabinet official and the post s/he was nominated to fill? Can one even possess such knowledge? It seems that one does not have to move much beyond the Republic to begin the investigation. But to resolve it perhaps we do.
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