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Beyond Charted Research: A Personal Tribute to Todd R. LaPorte
Author(s) -
Lagadec Patrick
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of contingencies and crisis management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.007
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1468-5973
pISSN - 0966-0879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-5973.2010.00634.x
Subject(s) - courage , tribute , bliss , ignorance , aphorism , law , sociology , environmental ethics , history , management , political science , philosophy , epistemology , economics , computer science , programming language
‘When ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise’. After three decades in crisis territory, working with academics and decision‐makers alike, I hold Thomas Gray's aphorism to be the most commonly held bottom line: When dealing with risks and crises, never take any risk, stay far away from any unknown . Meeting with someone who infringes on this ‘sacred’ predilection is extremely inspiring. Todd LaPorte is one such character, open to questioning, never stunned by the idea that there could be more things in complex systems and crisis territories than our basic philosophy can accept. Pressure is high to conform, but courage is vital to meet the uncharted challenges of modern crises. Todd LaPorte's intellectual courage is a lesson for all.