Invisible Data Can Provide Insight Into Apparently Insurmountable Obstacles
It’s easy to get caught up in self-deception when you refuse to acknowledge your own limitations
My college Physics professor told a story that illustrated the dangers of misinterpreting incomplete information. During World War II, the Royal Air Force took note of planes that returned to base after sustaining damage. An officer ordered a study to determine where the planes should be armored.
The resulting report demonstrated the areas of concern. But when the commanding officer went to the hangar, he found the engineers adding armor in all the wrong places.
“What are you doing?” he said. “The inquiry showed that our planes get hit in the wings and tail.”
“No,” replied the chief engineer. “The inquiry showed where planes could take damage and still fly. We don’t have data from the planes that didn’t make it back.”
Human beings are very good at drawing conclusions from incomplete information. However, it’s easy to become so fixated on what you think you know, that you disregard anything that is not immediately obvious. If you aren’t mindful about the limitations of your own perceptions, there are some insights that will remain forever out of reach.
