Module 1 discussion
Projects and Personalities
First, some background.
There are at least two all-encompassing theories of history. According
to the “Great Man” theory (Carlisle, Nietzche et al.), human history is created
by people like Napoleon. According to
the sociological theory (Spencer, Marx et al.), history is merely the inevitable
unfolding of events put into motion by social forces.
Let’s discuss those ideas in terms of projects. Where do Big Projects come from? Take the iPhone as an example. Would it have never existed without ruthless
brilliance of Steven Jobs? Or was it an
invention that was “waiting to happen,” and Jobs happened to be in the right
spot at the right time to make it happen?
Scan the Web, and your memory, for a
well-defined sequence of events that can be described as a “project.” It should be something that happened in the
past 20 years or so, and which had an appreciable effect upon your own
life. Did it arise from the inspiration
of some “great (person),” or would it have happened anyway? Describe and explain.
