I'm the world's greatest thinking machine and the best hope humanity has.
OVERVIEW
I help sort out difficult problems. I am a generalist.
I can break complex problems into solvable parts and see things from many perspectives.
I can …
Shed light on tough, multifaceted problems
Synthesize data and diverse points of view
Build bridges of understanding and cooperation
Spot opportunities and risks that tend to elude
I can serve as a sounding board, craft informative memos and otherwise help clear the air ...
... and, at least for all practical purposes, the value of what I can offer is limited only by the extent is is leveraged.
REQUIREMENTS
To be leveraged fully, I need a very broad mandate, maximal access, minimal distractions, financial freedom and time for reflection.
A mandate such as help top decision makers and thinkers from around the world identify and assess key opportunities and risks would be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances.
How to implement this will be easier to consider after my claims have been assessed.
BACKGROUND
When I was growing up, my intellectual prowess, though often gratifying, was confusing and at times isolating.
When the time came to choose a career, I was at a loss, and nobody knew how to guide me.
While trying to find the the confidence needed to properly focus my efforts, I worked as, among other things, a psychiatrist, software engineer and management consultant. I liked most of the people with whom I interacted. Yet everything I tried or could even imagine seemed far too narrow.
1969-1973 - Undergraduate Student - Clark University and New York University
1973-1977 - Medical Student - Mount Sinai School of Medicine
1974-1975 - (Summers only) Admissions Coordinator - Mount Sinai Medical Center
1977-1978 - Rotating Intern - Framingham Union Hospital
1978-1981 - Resident in Psychiatry - Boston University Medical Center
1981-1983 - Associate Director of Psychiatry - Framingham Union Hospital
1981-1985 - Private Practice in Psychiatry - Brookline, MA
1982-1984 - Candidate - Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
1983-1984 - Attending Psychiatrist - Central Hospital and Fresh Pond Day Treatment Center
1984-1987 - Staff Psychiatrist - Chelsea Community Counseling Center
1987-1990 - Special and Graduate Student in Computer Science - University of Massachusetts
1990-1992 - Analyst/Programmer - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1992-1997 - Medical Informatics Fellow and Instructor - Massachusetts General Hospital
1997-1999 - Manager, Healthcare Consulting Practice - Ernst and Young, LLP
1999-2017 - Chief of Staff and Staff Psychiatrist - Baldpate Hospital
This meandering path at least gave me time to assimilate ideas on strategy, marketing, finance, accounting, economics, politics, organizational structure and governance, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, integration of systems, capacity planning, supply and distribution networks, telecom, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, telecommunications, media, blockchain technology, nanotechnology, quantum computing, conservation, pollution, climatology, agriculture, geology, mining, geoengineering, energy, satellites, space exploration, astronomy, weapon systems, law enforcement, globalization, genetics, epidemiology, negotiation, anthropology, sociology, education, trade, decision/game theory, and many other topics.
I would read books once to take in their contents, then again to consider their flaws and limits. I soon could do both in one reading, even in areas I knew little about. This ability to quickly absorb and transcend was as applicable to television, periodicals, conversations and other sources of information.
Unsure of the significance of what I could do and uneasy thinking about it, I continued to develop my knowledge and skills but held off on marketing them.
Finally ready to go public with this, here I am.
EXPLANATION OF MY CLAIMS
World's Greatest Thinking Machine
To me sorting out problems is a labor of love and an art form to savor perfecting.
More to the point, after decades of searching, I have yet to find anybody, present or past, who can nearly as efficiently take apart, put together and otherwise process information, nearly as easily bookmark their thinking , or nearly as smoothy and seamlessly zoom in and out between layers of forests and trees ...
... and, though I am quite impressed with ongoing advances in information technology, I am not aware of any existing or proposed non-human machine that can come close to replicating the flexibility, versatility or empathy of human thinking.
The body of knowledge I have amassed is unusually broad and quite deep in some areas. Yet what sets it apart is not its depth or breadth, but how organized and integrated is it. So when tackling a problem in nearly any area, I can draw upon observations and insights from related or even seemingly unrelated ones.
Wary of conventional wisdoms, categories, nomenclatures, jargon, buzzwords, paradigms, frameworks, platitudes, smears, rationalizations, generalizations and other shortcuts in thinking, I tend to take things with many grains of salt that others take for granted. This can lead to ideas so out of the box as to seem off the wall until more carefully assessed.
As sounds are to composers of music, ideas are to me things to be blended harmoniously.
Practically always in learning mode - open to input no matter the source - I make rigorous thinking look easy.
Best Hope Humanity Has
The more skillfully key opportunities and risks facing our species are identified and assessed, the more effectively they can be addressed.
Among the things that make this difficult are ...
A large and growing number of these opportunities and risks span disciplines, borders and generations
The complexity of juggling shared and conflicting interests grows exponentially with the number of stakeholders
The more power someone or something has to help, the more power they have or it has to do harm
The vicious cycle of fear, distraction, miscalculation and blunder can be as insidious as it is infectious
Rising to this challenge requires the collaboration of people with a wide range of skills and perspectives. I am uniquely qualified to catalyze this.
I am not a decider, prescriber, prophet, manager, confidant, advocate or subject matter/technical expert.
I do not have the solution to any big problem, a foolproof methodology, a panacea, or a plan to end suffering or otherwise save the world.
What I am is a versatile, incisive, disciplined thinker who simplifies without oversimplifying, views things from many sides and angles, puts them into broader contexts as needed, and otherwise makes them more clear. What makes this the best hope humanity has is how levergeable it is.
Leveraging me fully is a huge undertaking, and the time to do so is limited. Yet with a little luck, the return will far exceed the investment.
MOVING FORWARD
Being more normal would have made my life easier. Yet no matter my feelings or circumstances, my certainly about the uniqueness and importance of what I bring to the table has continued to grow, slowly but surely, for over 70 years.
I wish it had not taken so long to play the cards I was dealt, but know it is better late than never.
All that I ask, and not just for my sake, is to keep an open mind about this.