Send us a text

In this electrifying No Way Out podcast episode, recorded on May 13, 2025—Top Gun Day—hosts Brian "Ponch" Rivera and Mark "Moose" McGrath dive into John Boyd’s OODA Loop through the "Four Ps of OODA": Perception, Pathfinding, Prediction, and Planning.

Framed as a Top Gun Day Special, they clarify that while John Boyd, a former U.S. Air Force Top Gun instructor, developed the OODA Loop, it was not rooted in fighter aviation but emerged from his remarkable consilience, pulling from diverse disciplines including systems theory, natural science, philosophy, warfare, The Toyota Production System, cognition, and decision-making. The hosts present the OODA Loop as a cognitive weapon system for navigating complex, uncertain environments, with Orientation as its Schwerpunkt.

Drawing on Karl Friston’s Free Energy Principle, Chuck Spinney’s Evolutionary Epistemology, and insights from collaborators like Chet Richards and Sarah Kernion, they debunk linear misinterpretations (e.g., "OODA-R" models), emphasizing the Four Ps’ ability to capture the loop’s fractal, adaptive essence.

The episode showcases the OODA Loop’s universal applicability, from cognitive warfare and corporate strategy to flow states and psychedelic-assisted therapy, illustrated by examples like a seventh-grade basketball team’s comeback using breathing techniques. Cultural references to Last of the Mohicans and Top Gun add vibrancy, while the hosts encourage listeners to explore the World of Reorientation Substack and avoid outsourcing strategic thinking.

NWO Intro with Boyd

March 25, 2025

Flow Learning Lab

Find us on X. @NoWayOutcast
Substack: The Whirl of ReOrientation

Want to develop your organization’s capacity for free and independent action (Organic Success)? Learn more and follow us at:
https://www.aglx.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@AGLXConsulting
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aglx-consulting-llc/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandrivera
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjmcgrath1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemccrone

Stay in the Loop. Don't have time to listen to the podcast? Want to make some snowmobiles? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive deeper insights on current and past episodes.
Recent podcasts where you’ll also find Mark and Ponch:

The No Bell Podcast Episode 24
...

Work on John Boyd's theories

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 1 episodes

The AI-powered Podcast Player