The Moral Imperative of Our Time: Purposeful Intellectual Growth
The Moral Imperative of Our Time: Purposeful Intellectual Growth by Brigadier General Wayne Michael Hall, ED.D., underscores the need for advanced cognitive development amid rapid technological and global challenges. Drawing on fifty years of U.S. Army intelligence experience, Hall emphasizes the integration of leadership thinking with technology to maintain global leadership and outthink enemies.
Hall advocates for treating information and cognition as warfare domains, urging strategies to combat misinformation and enhance strategic decision-making. The book offers practical approaches for intellectual growth in military and civilian contexts, such as fostering thought leaders and refining cognitive strategies.
Introducing concepts like “matrix war” and the critical role of “will,” Hall provides a thorough analysis of modern conflict and strategic operations. This essential read is ideal for strategists and policymakers, proposing a national security doctrine that incorporates information and cognitive domains to secure America’s future.
Reviews
Mike Hall joined the second iteration of the School of Advanced Military Studies in the summer of 1984. Those of us who were his classmates immediately recognized in him genius in the best sense of the word. He exemplified the school’s motto, “the mind is the key to victory.” He was captivated by the expansive and yet deep study of theory on the nature and character of war. Since then Hall has focused his impressive wit on considering intelligence collection and mission command in the information age, and the effect of will in warfare. The Moral Imperative of our Time—Purposeful Intellectual Growth is his sixth book. In five powerful essays Hall synthesizes his previous work, updates his thinking and explores theory more deeply. The essence of this work is a systematic approach to thinking and how to think about the changing character of war. This is a must read for professional soldiers who are serious about trying to discern the future of warfare.
Gregory Fontenot
Colonel
U.S. Army, Retired
Reviews
The Moral Imperative of Our Time—Purposeful Intellectual Growth
el Hall, ED.D., Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Retired
Mike Hall is a genius and like his intellectual companions, Mike is blessed with original and exceptional insight. An insatiable intellectual curiosity and a plethora of academic and experiential learning have amplified his extraordinary insight exponentially. Mike is a deep thinker imbued with an intense passion for learning, teaching, and driving change. Each of his published works is a calling for us to undertake a deliberate journey of learning focused on optimizing our mind’s potential. All his published and unpublished works are on my go-to physical and digital shelves of references. In this, his latest tome, Mike’s quest is abundantly clear in the book’s title…and so, too, is his thesis: The Moral Imperative of Our Time—Purposeful Intellectual Growth: Developing and Using the Human Mind to Outpace America’s Enemies and to Stay Abreast of Changing Technologies. Mike argues convincingly that only a deliberate and steadfast commitment to grow intellectually will (i) enable us to thwart the ever-increasing quantity and effectiveness of nefarious misinformation and disinformation; (ii) improve our decision-making; and (iii) leverage (vice being hostage to) evolving technologies to stay ahead of America’s adversaries and to defeat her enemies.
Mike and I have been each other’s harshest critic and most ardent supporter since our days in the School of Advanced Military Studies, 1984-85. We have served together, collaborated often, and debated the finer points of national security and the art and science of the profession of arms. That his thinking has evolved so much over the forty years surprises me not at all…Mike is a lifelong learner. And, at an age when most are more than ready to pass the baton to the next generation, Mike is the exception. Every fiber of his being beckons him to continue to share his enormous learning and holistic thinking with current and future decision-makers. The security of our nation cannot rest on the shoulders of bright and well-intentioned young men and women in and out of uniform without mentors of Mike Hall’s ilk to guide their holistic development and intellectual growth.
Afforded the reflective study they deserve, Mike’s works are beyond compelling. They should be among the required studies of decision-makers and their staffs at every echelon of our government and armed forces. In the early 1900s, J.F.C. Fuller’s ideas on mechanized warfare were less appreciated by his countrymen than by the Nazis, notably Heinz Guderian who spent his own money to have Fuller’s Provisional Instructions for Tank and Armoured Car Training translated. However arduous the study of Mike Hall’s learning and deep-thinking might be, let’s not cede his body of work and powerful ideas to our adversaries.
Paul Tiberi
Colonel
US Army, Retired