Includes bibliographical references (p. [209]-217) and index.

Obliquity -- The oblique world : how obliquity surrounds us. Fulfillment ; The profit-seeking paradox ; The art of the deal ; Objectives, goals, and actions ; The ubiquity of obliquity -- The need for obliquity : why we often can't solve problems directly. Muddling through ; Pluralism ; Interaction ; Complexity ; Incompleteness ; Abstraction -- Coping with obliquity : how to solve problems in a complex world. The flickering lamp of history ; The Stockdale paradox ; The hedgehog and the fox ; The blind watchmaker ; Bend it like Beckham ; Order without design ; Very well then, I contradict myself ; Dodgy dossiers -- The practice of obliquity.

Draws on examples from many disciplines to argue that complex and broadly defined goals are better achieved when approached in an open, indirect manner that focuses on means, instead of a rigidly direct approach that focuses on ends.