Strategic Existence: Presence and Absence

1. Existential Presence

Time is people; there is no time without people. History is the unfolding of human existence. Yet this existence is neither merely a physical body nor merely a spirit. It is always something more—or something altogether different.

The Absence of a Fixed Physical Substance

When we observe the same person at different moments in time, a question inevitably arises: what exactly remains the same if the person's physical composition has already been completely replaced? We constantly speak of a person whose physical substance can never actually be grasped. The physical object is always absent, and yet something remains present—but what is it?

Reduction to the Soul

Attempting to locate an immutable «essence» hidden within the body is itself another reduction. It merely replaces the absence of a fixed physical substrate with the equally unobservable universal condition called the «soul.» In practice, however, we always encounter a different soul: at different ages, under different circumstances, and in different situations. This does not require us to deny that something universal may exist behind the entire façade of appearances. The question of that universality, however, lies beyond the scope of the present discussion.

Relational Uniqueness

Every assessment of a particular individual, as well as every concrete psychophysical manifestation of that individual, necessarily includes bodily characteristics together with what may conventionally be described as psychological traits. These bear the imprint of individual origin, parental inheritance, and personal development.

This once again demonstrates that every attempt to reduce a human being—to a collection of attributes, to a program embedded in the brain, or to the soul—is ultimately a reduction. What actually exists is an elusive yet integral existence. To address this problem more precisely, we shall speak of existential presence—a unique mode of presence that cannot be reduced to any of its constituent elements.

Unique Presence

Thus we return to the classical dispute between «matter» or «soul.» Within the framework of this study, however, we shall instead speak of existential presence: the unique event of «presence» that never repeats itself. It cannot be reduced to an abstract formula or fixed within any static substrate. It simply is—as a phenomenon, which is precisely what brings the unfolding of reality into being.

2. The Inertia of Emptiness: The Strategic Simulacrum

Let us suppose that, for one reason or another, those occupying the strategic level are individuals who continually reproduce the same strategic emptiness due to a deficiency of existential presence. Whether the sphere is business, politics, or any other domain is ultimately irrelevant.

2.1. "Strategists" as the Product of Goal-Oriented Inertia

Such a system operates through the inertia of accumulated mass and previously initiated processes. If every soldier keeps firing, and there are millions of such soldiers, then something will inevitably emerge from their collective activity. Likewise, if everyone at the operational level possesses a "rifle," then the mass will produce some kind of result regardless.

The outcome appears almost automatically as the inertial continuation of a trajectory established long before. It is precisely here that the ordinary understanding of strategy is born: strategy becomes nothing more than the search for an abstract "mission" rather than the creation of a new reality.

2.2. The Inertial State of the Strategic Layer

Within this logic, "strategists" become little more than accidental beneficiaries of an ongoing process. They possess no existential understanding of the activity entrusted to them, yet they spend their entire careers successfully imitating competence.

Their professional inadequacy stems not from insufficient industry-specific knowledge but from the fundamental absence of strategic existence. At the same time, their professional expertise may be impeccable. They may thoroughly understand financial reporting, accounting transformations, financial ratios, industrial production, or complex technological processes (cf. Rumelt, 2022). Yet from the standpoint of existential presence, all of this remains an expression of strategic emptiness.

Such an inertial condition may characterize the leadership of a declining multinational corporation, a systemically important global bank, a major company listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, or even the governing elite of an "exhausted" historical subject whose mechanisms of social mobility have ceased to function and where genuine competition has disappeared.

2.3. The Normality of Emptiness

There is nothing unusual about such a "normal" state of affairs. Most people are perfectly ordinary individuals who do not possess what might be called a dislocated existence.

They lack that particular mode of presence which enables a person to step outside ordinary immersion in routine, generate powerful strategic concepts, and, when necessary, transform those concepts into actions capable of bringing a new reality into being.

It is the "dislocated" who produce primary reality. Once that initial act has taken place, however, the system may continue functioning for a very long time, gradually transforming itself into a state of normalized cooling.

Such cooling normality ultimately produces nothing except snobbery. For a considerable period, it can continue packaging the accidental outcomes of activity at the lower levels while presenting them as the achievements of strategic leadership.

3. The Architecture of Concealment: When Resources Replace Strategic Existence

The primary function of normality is to conceal the condition of strategic emptiness: once resources have fallen into our hands, the task becomes to construct an enormous organizational structure and simply compel it to do something.

Such a "strategy" rests upon the assumption that once personnel have been assembled—whether trained or untrained—they will inevitably produce results through the mechanics of the process itself, even though no one provides them with genuine strategic leadership grounded in strategic existence.

The most remarkable feature of this form of "strategizing" is the hidden assumption that such personnel require no authentic existential motivation—that is, no understanding of either their own stake in the undertaking or the overarching purpose that gives the collective effort its meaning. Within this logic, people are reduced to homogeneous components of a megamachine whose inner commitment and meaningful participation are considered irrelevant.

To normalize this underlying emptiness, organizations frequently resort to various technologies of normalization—management by objectives, decision trees, strategic frameworks, and similar managerial instruments. Ultimately, however, all of these merely extend the same downward inertia.

A profound analysis of such mechanisms, whereby large organizational structures conceal systemic irrationality, can be found in the work of Adam Tooze (Tooze, 2006).

3.1. Failing to Notice One's "Participation in the Process"

This architectural concealment is usually unconscious. Participants rarely recognize that their meetings, brainstorming sessions, polished presentations, and every other procedure which, according to conventional textbooks on strategy, ought to generate the subtle atmosphere of strategic presence are, in reality, empty (cf. Rumelt, 2022).

Yet anyone who understands what is truly at stake immediately notices the absence of the single indispensable element upon entering such a seemingly purposeful organization—the absence of the properly dislocated.

3.2. The Mechanical Production of Strategy as a Means of Overcoming Deadlock

A professional who understands this phenomenon of strategic emptiness and is capable of recognizing the scent of sterile normality may nevertheless use it to produce something genuinely strategic.

This is accomplished through various mechanisms for identifying problems within a particular field by drawing upon the knowledge accumulated in the minds of specialists and managers working in an industry that has reached a strategic deadlock. Strategic workshops, think tanks, and similar institutional mechanisms all belong to this category (cf. Rumelt, 2022).

Whether such mechanically produced strategy ultimately proves to be of high quality is a separate question. Nevertheless, this form of mechanical intervention can substantially improve, redirect, or renew an already existing process that has reached an otherwise insurmountable strategic deadlock.

4. Tactical Questions in the Context of Strategic Inertia

Whenever strategic inertia becomes the dominant organizing principle, processes of tactical incompetence inevitably begin to develop at the operational level.

Those operating at the tactical level comfort themselves with the belief that genuine strategists, armed with a "master plan," remain somewhere above them.

The individual "soldier" may never have been properly developed: he may lack the necessary skills, or possess them only to be deployed in the wrong place and for the wrong purpose. Nevertheless, there remains an unwavering conviction that everything has already been anticipated by those at the top.

Within this logic, tactical incompetence, the absence of motivation, and every other defect of execution are explained not by a deficiency of strategic existence—which would constitute a painful diagnosis—but by the presumed existence of some ingenious hidden plan. Hope persists that this plan will soon be activated: unexpected reserves will appear, the opponent will suddenly be overwhelmed, and the course of events will dramatically change.

In reality, however, the worst possible scenario gradually unfolds—the very one that everyone dimly anticipates but refuses to acknowledge. Faith in the "master plan" functions merely as a psychological defense mechanism, allowing the existential emptiness of leadership to remain unnoticed until the moment of collapse itself.

4.1. The Drift of Strategic Inertia and Tactical Incompetence

Almost everyone has encountered strategic inertia and tactical incompetence when observing the decline of an organization. Whenever genuine tactical work with personnel disappears—that is, work performed in its proper function—a productive unit striving for learning and effective execution gradually transforms into a structure whose members merely drift together.

Drift gives rise to hopelessness. Hopelessness, in turn, becomes fertile ground for empty courage, belief in miracles, and, conversely, panic once the system begins to fracture. Such drift also emerges naturally at the conclusion of every lost confrontation and may result from the gradual exhaustion of strategic depth through prolonged depletion.

4.2. The Final Synthesis: Strategic Inertia and Tactical Futility

When these two processes converge—strategic inertia at the top and tactical incompetence below—the outcome is almost invariably defeat.

Those operating at the tactical level continue "firing," yet inflict only minimal damage upon the opponent. Meanwhile, an adversary capable of organizing genuine tactical effectiveness methodically dismantles the entire structure. Even then, the "shooters" may continue believing in the existence of mysterious "main reserves," while the supposed "strategists" directing the process remain completely detached from reality, occupied solely with the imitation of strategic leadership.

4.3. Strategic Deadlock, Tactical Competence, and the Existence of the Strategist

There are situations in which tactical excellence encounters a strategic deadlock, rendering tactical proficiency itself an exercise in futility.

A vivid historical example is Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, particularly the Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Acre (1799):

• The Tactical Helplessness of the Mamluks. Despite extraordinary personal courage, repeated cavalry assaults proved hopeless against an opponent organized according to fundamentally different tactical principles.
• French Tactical Competence. The French army methodically destroyed attacking forces through disciplined close-range fire while maintaining cohesion and suffering only minimal casualties.
• The Strategist's Existence. The most important lesson, however, lies in Napoleon himself. Having assessed the situation and recognized that no genuine strategic depth could be established under those circumstances, he chose—despite the inertia of the campaign—to acknowledge the inevitability of failure and terminate the operation by ordering a withdrawal.

This is the highest expression of dislocated existence: the capacity to interrupt an ongoing process in order to preserve subjectivity, rather than continuing to drift toward an inevitable collapse.

5. The Relationship Between Strategy and Tactics

Strategy without tactics is merely a declaration of intent. Unless embodied in concrete instruments, strategy remains nothing more than a plan on paper. Tactics without strategy, by contrast, amount to an empty fight: individual tasks may be executed efficiently, yet the objective itself either disappears or never fully materializes. Deprived of a strategic vector, tactics inevitably degenerate into “activity for activity’s sake”—the process may function flawlessly while remaining devoid of meaning.

In contemporary organizations, the relationship between strategy and tactics is realized through the synthesis of strategic, operational, and functional modes of thinking. Effective governance—whether within a corporation or a state—rests upon the integration of three complementary dimensions:

• Strategic Thinking: defining long-term objectives and meaning.
• Operational Thinking: sustaining the ongoing functioning and mechanics of organizational processes.
• Functional Thinking: professional competence within key domains, including finance, marketing, human resources, production, risk management, and related disciplines.

5.1. Tactical Weakness and the Mechanisms of Compensation

Whenever one side enjoys tactical superiority while the other remains tactically weak, the weaker side inevitably suffers defeat. Survival then requires the continuous expenditure of disproportionate resources together with an accelerated improvement of tactical capabilities; otherwise, defeat becomes unavoidable.

In economics, this phenomenon manifests itself through prolonged price dumping and other resource-intensive competitive strategies that demand substantial reserves merely to preserve market presence.

5.2. The Power of Strategic Depth

Where tactical capabilities are relatively equal, victory belongs to the side possessing greater strategic depth.

Strategic victory is the realization of a large-scale strategic concept supported by depth and reinforced through resources. The principle is straightforward: resources must expand as strategic depth unfolds rather than being gradually exhausted. The expansion of Rome provides a classic historical illustration. Every stage of the Republic’s and later the Empire’s growth represented the material unfolding of increasing strategic depth.

5.3. The Unfolding of Strategic Depth

The development of strategic depth must begin at the very outset of a confrontation. It is the process of transforming accumulated experience, knowledge, and capital into strategic instruments while continuously adjusting direction in response to changing conditions. Strategic depth requires the creation of self-sustaining institutions capable of organizing resource chaos into coherent strategic purpose.

5.4. Conceptuality and the Strategic Concept: The Hierarchy of Meaning

It is essential to distinguish between two related but fundamentally different notions:

• Strategic depth is the deployment of instruments—institutions, infrastructure, resources, and organizational capabilities.
• A strategic concept is the synthesis of those instruments for the purpose of creating a new reality.

Excess cash flow, by itself, merely produces accumulated surplus. It becomes productive capital only when directed by a strategic concept. Conceptuality always precedes depth: first comes the concept, then the instruments through which it unfolds. A strategic concept rests upon several fundamental maxims: concentrating forces at decisive points (“march separately, fight together”), mastering time and space, and securing victory before open confrontation begins.

5.5. Subjectivity Versus Episodic Existence

Those who are incapable of developing strategic depth and lack a prior strategic concept become nothing more than “episodes” within the strategy of their opponent.

An adversary’s tactical superiority is overcome through strategic depth arising from a coherent concept. Tactical capability itself is strengthened through the continuous refinement of technologies, methods, and techniques. At the same time, it is critically important to avoid the decisive battle that a tactically superior opponent seeks to impose.

6. The Existence of Strategists

All of the structures and instruments described in the previous sections remain mere emptiness unless the most essential element is present: strategic existence capable of breathing life into an otherwise lifeless procedural apparatus.

This resembles a legal process deprived of common sense. Without a living will guiding it, law degenerates into a self-sustaining bureaucratic ritual.

For precisely this reason, certain legal systems have developed procedures intended to preserve a living connection with reality. Judges are not merely appointed to apply procedural rules mechanically; rather, through the very process of their selection, they are expected to exercise existential common sense—an immediate form of judgment grounded in lived reality rather than in procedural norms detached from it. This is also why precedent-based legal systems are indispensable: they function as mechanisms for discovering and preserving anchors of sound judgment embedded in lived reality.

6.1. Grasping the Wholeness of Reality

Tactical excellence can never compensate for the absence of strategic existence. Strategic unfolding requires minds capable of grasping reality as an integrated whole. This is not primarily a matter of data analysis but of perceiving telos within the apparent chaos of facts.

6.2. Activating the Field

Strategic unfolding is impossible without genuinely existing strategists.

The strategist’s existence functions as a beam of light illuminating the empty spaces within a system. To a significant extent, it is an innate capacity for sustaining conceptual tension—one that cannot be acquired through conventional management education. It is the capacity to activate a field, transforming an environment composed merely of facts and events into a genuine field of meaning.

6.3. The Fading of Strategic Existence

History offers numerous examples in which strategists disappeared while the systems they had created continued moving through inertia alone.

The absence of living correction, however, inevitably leads to catastrophe. A system deprived of its strategist resembles an interstellar spacecraft. Even while continuing along its original trajectory through inertia, it still requires continuous navigational correction. Without such correction, it gradually loses contact with its destination, drifts away from its course, and ultimately becomes an orphan of the universe.

A strategic concept separated from the living existence that originally gave birth to it ceases to evolve. It loses flexibility and eventually collapses when confronted by a changing reality.

Without genuine existence, every form of structuralism and intuitionism discussed throughout this work ultimately remains nothing more than emptiness—an elegant intellectual façade concealing an irreversible process of decay.

7. “Normality” and Strong Existence

Our subjective consciousness recognizes objects outside itself that may become instruments serving our purposes. Strong existence is an instrument of the same order: it too can be discovered and employed for a variety of ends. Yet this is precisely where the inevitable encounter between the strong and the normal begins.

The problem is that absolute normality is radically self-sufficient. It fails to recognize that reality does not exist for its benefit but according to its own internal logic. As a result, there is a constant temptation to embed a unique instrument into the ordinary foundations of everyday life or to adapt a nuclear reactor for the performance of trivial domestic tasks.

It is like forcing Mozart to entertain the patrons of a tavern or using a genius as a mere shop-window attraction. Normality cannot perceive magnitude. It sees nothing beyond the possibility of adapting an instrument of extraordinary power to its own immediate and insignificant concerns.

For this reason, strong existence requires a protective umbrella. That umbrella, in turn, depends upon the protection of a club—a community that long ago developed institutional mechanisms capable of shielding strong existence, the very source of genuine novelty, from the encroachments of respectable normality.

It is precisely this institutional capacity to construct a protected sphere that enables certain civilizations to achieve lasting dominance. By transforming existential conceptuality into a mechanism for generating new technological, economic, and political realities, they secure victory in the great technological, economic, and geopolitical competitions of history.

Recommended Reading

• Rumelt, R. (2022). The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists. PublicAffairs.
• Tooze, A. Note. Adam Tooze’s major works—The Deluge, Crashed, and Shutdown—provide exemplary analyses of strategic depth, examining political history through the management of financial flows, resources, and geopolitical subjectivity. His method demonstrates how strategic institutions—or their absence—transform historical events into enduring systemic realities.