Art Of War By Sun Tzu

Instinctivist theories on human aggressiveness often promote the notion that warfare is in the nature of humankind and therefore cannot be prevented. However Margaret Mead eloquently refuted this idea in her renowned essay Warfare: an Invention – Not a Biological Necessity. Mead states, “War is inevitable unless we change our social system and outlaw classes, the struggle for power, and possessions; and in the event of our success warfare would disappear, as a symptom vanishes when the disease is cured.” Through this statement Mead makes it clear that because aggression and subsequently warfare is a learned invention, it can be avoided. For the purposes of this essay, aggression will be defined as “a response that delivers noxious stimuli to another organism.” This essay will outline how and why aggression, and thus warfare, is not biological and is rather a behaviour that is learned as a reaction to social stimuli. Furthermore, it will be explained that violence is used by societies as a political weapon to achieve ostensible objectives.

In “War and Massacre” by Thomas Nagel, Nagel argues that there are limits on what can be done to an enemy even its for the sake of overall good. He believes that such an idea is grounded on the principles of Absolutism, where morality is determined by the action itself (deontology). This is contrary to the view of Utilitarianism, which relies on the premise that Morality is determined by its consequences (Consequentialism). Although could one in fact generate such a moral structure around war? Do the ends justify the means in War? Through identifying with a real-life example, I will look to expand on Nagel’s account where an action taken by a country in war would be prohibited even if it were for the overall good.

Philip’s reforms to the Macedonian army include reorganizing the structure and the use of troops and improving weaponry and tactics (Potter, Lecture 13 March 2015). The Macedonian phalanx was a great improvement over the hoplite phalanx used in Greek warfare because of two reasons. Well-trained soldiers, known as phalangite, wore lighter armor that enabled them to move quicker and utilize their new, longer spears known as sarissa, which

The soldiers would enter the battle in chariots, launching javelins into the enemy formations, then dismount for hand-to-hand combat with more javelin throwing, rock throwing, and hand to hand sword and shield fighting. In the Iliad Homer also mentions the use of the phalanx formation being used by the Greeks. The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons . Scholars suggest that the Greeks would have used this tactic because the alignment of shields minimises the chances of projectiles hitting the men, and the men can move as one, strong unit.

ukio Mishima, a Japanese rebel who wanted his government to bring back imperial power and samurai traditions back to Japan soon after the ending of world war 2. As past traditions had been overrun by more westernized influences which Mishima had believed lacked courage and principles. All resulting in Mishima committing ritual suicide in the commander’s office soon after taking the commander hostage and addressing the local garrison from the commander’s balcony. Although Mishima had took his life, he had done it with honor; he had rather commit suicide than accept his country’s way of governing. In “Patriotism,” Yukio Mishima explains how this kind of suicide is an honorable act rather than a cowardice one through his fictional character, Lieutenant

To the United States, World War II is believed to be a good war, and why wouldn’t it be considered as such? During World War II, in addition to stopping mass genocide and stopping the spread of Nazism and Fascism, the United States beat Japan after their attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result, the U.S. was no longer in the Depression and the United States became a world power. However, in “The Best War Ever,” Michael C.C. Adams argues that as a result of Hollywood’s glamorization of the war, government propaganda/censorship, and the widespread of economic prosperity, Americans were kept in the dark about the truth regarding World War II resulting in the popular belief and myth that World War II was a good war.

The Civil War, America’s bloodiest conflict, was not lost by Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson or Joseph Johnston. It was lost by a man named Christopher Memminger, the first Treasury Secretary of the Confederate States. Mismanagement of Southern economy was a signal that the South was doomed from the beginning. Money drives every aspect of life, and every aspect of politics. From fundamental beliefs about taxation to everyday life being made impossible by inflation, the Southern economic policy seemed designed to do as much harm to the Confederate States as possible. The Southern economic policy demonstrated that a war can be lost in the wallets and treasuries as easily as it can be lost on the battlefield.

Current militaries have benefitted from the principles of ancient Greek and Roman warfare by studying the ancient battles, tactics, and use of supplies to develop effective military plans. Current militaries study and debate historical turning points of the ancient battles to understand how the leaders planned and executed battles. The empires’ growth was due in part to the might and successes of their military. The strength of their militaries came from many factors including their use of armor, weapons, and military tactics. The empires’ leaders used these three advantages to create the superior armies of their time.

John Keegan describes his book, The Face of Battle, as "a personal attempt to catch a glimpse of the face of battle." This personal aspect that Keegan mentions is essential to his book and is excellently articulated, driving home his point. Keegan, who taught at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for over 25 years, begins by acknowledging his uneasiness with the fact that even though he taught British cadets military history, "I have not been in a battle; not near one, nor heard one from afar, nor seen the aftermath . . . And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like." Keegan is clear to state his proposition that almost all military history has functioned simply as a “battle piece” description in which one can see all the larger moving aspects followed by the outcome. However, this sort of recounting fails to acknowledge the personal side of war, the experience of battle. What really ensues when a cavalry unit meets an infantry unit? What are the vital features in determining whether soldiers stand and fight or turn and run?

Death; destruction; crawling, bloody men without jaws; and a child in the middle of it is just a glimpse of the grotesque short narrative “Chickamauga” by Ambrose Bierce. Chickamauga Creek is an area near Chattanooga, Tennessee and northwestern Georgia, plagued by war, suffering, and bloodshed from the Civil War (Bohannon). Bierce served in the Union Army during the American Civil War (Campbell). Many Americans then, and today, romanticize war with glory, heroism, and patriotism. Bierce defied literary status quo, creating graphic accounts of war, in an age of sentimentalism and melodrama (Morris). Lesser publicized were the perspectives, thoughts, and realities of the soldiers after serving and surviving in the civil

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is a classic work of military science fiction depicting a war between the human race and an unfamiliar alien entity known as the Taurans. The overall plot line follows a fairly typical path, but Haldeman’s real genius is realized through the interactions that take place between the protagonist, William Mandella, and the Earth he returns to between military operations. Developing beneath the ever-present war of the two species lies a much subtler conflict between generations of human thought and culture. Brought about by the way troops are transported in space, time dilation creates an interesting dichotomy between the early soldiers of the war and the rapid evolution of human society and culture remaining on Earth. The Forever War questions the stability of human nature by creating a scenario where its fluidity is exposed through an invariable link to time. The expression of human nature changes as cultural and personal identities adapt to new situations; viewing these changes through Mandella, we begin to see how different expressions of human nature can impact human nature itself.

With the knowledge of war you have today, would you be willing to volunteer to sign up for the front line?

War has always been so merciless, so bloody, and so disastrous. In war there always dead, injuries, and overall is how much the soldier has satisfied. There are war that people can clearly see with bare eyes, that they see soldiers lost a part or more of the whole physical body, but there are war that the soldier fighting with their mental and that is the “invisible war” that nobody can see, but them, soldiers. The “Invisible war” by Kirby Dick 's “brutally shocking documentary argues that rape in the US military” is not an aberration, but a shameful secret epidemic. Victims are expected to suffer in silence and the issue is regarded as an occupational hazard. The US army is known as one of the best army in the world with all the “great” weapons and “strictly” rules that is the place for no mistake and the soldiers are always receive all the best for their satisfy for this country. However, the fact is so many of them were threatening for sex assault, many of them suffer their lives after their join army and in many cases, there are no actions from the government in general. The “ Invisible War” is a fantastic documentary showed the viewer of the other side, the dark invisible war, that the soldiers have to fought for when they are on duty and even after they services are due.

Ancient Greeks and the Phalanx Formation The Greek military formation known as the Phalanx was the most effective military strategy of its time. The Phalanx was a formation that had a lot of rows of soldiers. The warriors were armed with spears and shields. Marching foreword or staying in place if defending an area (Mark).

It is tempting, and often comforting, to think that humans control their fates. The decisions that people make in their daily lives can affect many things. On the other hand, people cannot control every aspect of their environments. The weather has, in fact, affected world history in important ways that are still felt today.