Dear TEd: thanks for your information on Nixon. It reminds me that long before he got
to power, he had earned soubriquet "Tricky Dickie".
Can any of us think of a term that would characterize the them of The Bridge of San Luis Rey?

Here is a URL comparing "hubris" with "hamartia". By drama students, but not as good as first URL
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/classics/Course_Materials/CLA205Rob/list/0113.html



Here is a URL about "hamartia" afflicting CEO's
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1038/5_42/56750676/p1/article.jhtml?term=hubris+hamartia
excerpt:
"Incoherent thinking and untested assumptions that lead to ultimate failure are facilitated by
our all-too-human tendency toward hubris, hamartia, and anagnosis - HH&A. All leaders are
subject to these tendencies. Few understand them. Fewer still know how to manage them.
According to Dorner (1996), identifying the opportunities in the failure experience requires
both a knowledge of its roots and the techniques to change one's behavior and learn from it
Failure can be beneficial to leaders only as long as they understand what role they play in it,
and can apply the knowledge gained in new and better ways."

As a small bonus, notice "anagnosis".