Why does modern life revolve around objectives? From how science is funded to improving how
children are educated -- and nearly everything in-between -- our society has become obsessed
with a seductive illusion: that greatness results from doggedly measuring improvement in the
relentless pursuit of an ambitious goal. In Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned Stanley and Lehman
begin with a surprising scientific discovery in artificial intelligence that leads ultimately
to the conclusion that the objective obsession has gone too far. They make the case that great
achievement can't be bottled up into mechanical metrics that innovation is not driven by
narrowly focused heroic effort and that we would be wiser (and the outcomes better) if instead
we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. Controversial at
its heart yet refreshingly provocative this book challenges readers to consider life without
a destination and discovery without a compass.
