A reader writes:

Here is a question for you. If you were the only person on earth and there were no predators of any kind, would strategy be necessary?

A form of adaptive strategy works because you still have to adapt to your environment, but it is a reduced set of principles. The scientific method is, after all, a form of the adaptive loop of listen, aim, move claim but with a critical change. Where it breaks down is at the core of a strategic position, the share mission, because the foundation of Winning Without Conflict is the idea that you are working in the world of people where people have different missions and it is possible to create a shared missions. Without shared missions and contests that arise from fundamental differences in philosophy, many of the tools are unnecessary and don't work. For example, in the adaptive loop, you don’t need to “listen” to understand the differences in people’s motivation to get a fix on their and your position, you just need to “observe.” Perspective is much simpler.

However, most of the tools of strategy are based working on our position in the context of other people who have their own subjective views of our position and upon whom our positions depends.