Chapter One
INTRODUCTION
Wout Van Wezel and Rene Jorna
Faculty of Management and Organization, University of Groningen,
NL-9700-AV Groningen, the Netherlands
1.1. INTRODUCTION
No living thing seems to be conscious of the future, and none seems concerned to
design for that future, except Man. But every man looks ahead and attempts to organize
for tomorrow, the future of the next day or of the next generation. Whatever he has to
do or proposes to do, he plans; he is a planner. He seems to be distinguished from all
other forms of life by this faculty, this necessity. Man plans to rebuild employment, or
to increase his company's volume of business, or to win an election, or to write a letter,
or to build a bridge, or to buy a cigar, or to get his hair cut, or to put alcohol in the radiator
of his car against the prospect of sub-zero weather, or to give the baby paregoric
against the prospect of a sleepless night, or to build a city-he plans all the time. By
his very nature every man plans constantly.
-Jacob L. Crane, Planning ... read full excerpt from Planning in Intelligent Systems: Aspects, Motivations, and Methods ebook
