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Critics say both the Air Corps Tactical School and Warden leaned too hard on comparisons like 'web' and 'body.' What is that flaw?

Overreliance on metaphor instead of logical proof.

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  1. Overreliance on metaphor ✔
  2. Too little use of math
  3. Ignoring the enemy's leaders

Why: Faber called it one of the three pathologies of airpower theory. Comparing an enemy to a spider web or a human body sounds convincing, but the theorists gave little evidence the comparison actually held true.

Huh, didn't know that: Another pathology: making a fetish of counting and predicting in war, which is still unpredictable.

The dad joke
Why did the spider skip airpower class? It already knew all about webs.
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References

Answer: Overreliance on metaphor. Faber called it one of the three pathologies of airpower theory. Comparing an enemy to a spider web or a human body sounds convincing, but the theorists gave little evidence the comparison actually held true.

  1. Learn to Lead, Volume 4: Strategic Perspectives, reading 14.2 (Civil Air Patrol) www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Volume_4_Web_4028F891F0A14.pdf
    One of the pathologies is an overreliance on metaphor in place of logical argumentation.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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