Art of War Summary

“Weapons are tools of fear. A decent man will avoid them.” Lao-tzu is against military action. The only way he is in favor of military action is in the “direst necessity.” And only in the most

To move from a point to another A Commander does not create the openings for an advance due to the unpredictability of the weather. Instead he uses the changes in the weather to aid the advancement of his troops. The significance of this chapter is clear in the landings on the Normandy beaches in the Second World War. In this chapter Sun Tzu also informs that talent and experience are above rules and theory. The knowledge in his book ‘Art of War’ isn’t grasped by simply reading the texts. Understanding it and knowing when and where to appropriately apply these concepts takes practice. These concepts were not created with scientific knowledge or calculations, because war cannot be analytically calculated. War is like water, Sun Tzu says “it shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.” Accordingly this book was written by generals in the army with years of experience, and wisdom and cannot be easily repeated. Sun Tzu says “One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.” Reading these texts only provides the reader with the theory; however to gain an understanding requires practice. Therefore the rank of a commander can only be attained through the medium of reflection, creativity, study, thought and intellectual instinct.”

Sun Tzu know every humans is greedy when there is small advantages in front of them, this kind of nature makes them slack off their spirit or become less alert and lead them making the wrong decision. In the battle, before we lure the enemy to move with benefits, we need to know what exactly enemy desired in the battle, Thus, Sun Tzu said “Know yourself and your enemy well, you will never be defeated”. According to Sun Tzu, every war must be studies and examined thoroughly, because the impact of war bring to the country is huge, it consumed a lot of resources, no matter human resources, food supply, weapons and etc. Hence, after we know enemy, it is easy entice them by giving away something they definitely want to have or creating circumstances that makes them feels comfortable. When the enemy feel they took advantages or when they feel comfortable, this is the opportunity to ambush them.

The laws of war in general must be studied to understand the nature of how and why wars are fought. According to Mao, China was already involved in a war both against itself and other nations and if they wanted to win the war then they would need to study war in general. There are some common elements that occur in all wars, but in order to be successful, an understanding of those elements and how they operate are necessary. Mao states that “War is the highest form of struggle for settling contradictions between classes at given staged of

We learn how because of this reasons and after seeing so many people dying many soldiers started wishing for the war to finally end and some even decided to escape from the army when realizing that the fighting was not going to stop soon.

To look at how Lao Tzu’s philosophy influenced Sun Tzu’s, The Art of War, one must understand the point of view in context with the writers. Eastern philosophy is much different from those of its Western counterparts. The Western world has more of an inner focus on “determinism and moral responsibility.” Ones reasoning, logic, and ethics play a role with the decisions they make. While the Eastern world has more of a focus on the foundational beliefs of “fundamental connectedness”, and “personal liberation”. The

Sun Tzu He lived and studied throughout China and Asia. 544 BC - 496 BC Sun Tzu was a general and strategist during the warfare China faced against its states who desired power and control of the vacant land. This inspired him to write about tactics, advice, and the principles of warfare, leading to the book called, "The Art of War" and becoming a very well known philosopher today. During Sun Tzu's early years he was under the King of Wu, King Helü, and it can be assumed that he influenced Tzu.

Sun Tzu understood the nature of war as “the province of life or death,” and a “matter of vital importance to the state.”1 I agree. In my own experience, war awakens your primordial instincts and strips you of your self-rationalizations. Sun Tzu defined the character of war when he wrote, “water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions.”2 Accordingly, Sun Tzu’s principals of war offer a framework adequate to explain the nature and character of 21st century warfare, which I rationalize as a near-continuous battle of ideologies fought through asymmetric means to advance the values and interests of state and non-state actors.

In the Tao-te Ching, Lao-tzu recognizes the need for military action, but supports it only to a limited extent. His belief is that a good ruler will avoid war unless it is necessary. This ruler will engage in battle only if it is to protect his people; he will feel sorry for his enemy and for the situation. An ideal leader would never be able to rejoice after a victory, because the death of an enemy is still a tragedy. Lao-tzu believes that violence will always be followed by violence, and that the act of war itself is not virtuous. He believes that it is ideal to have no enemies. Compromise is often favorable to violence. A war is only as good as the intentions behind fighting it. When leaders start wars with selfish motives, they are resisting the natural order of the universe. If people act in accordance with the Tao, they will find that violence is less frequent in their lives. Lao-tzu is morally opposed to war, and he would prefer a world without it. He is practical, however, and believes that a leader should do what is necessary to protect the

Throughout the ages of history, there were many wars that were fought. For every victory and defeat, what was it that really determined the outcome of the war? Which army leader had the better or worse battle plan? With the plan they had, did it increase their chances of victory? Were there key factors in an army leader’s plan that lead to their defeat? Or, was the best decision made to completely avoid war? For a lot of the wars that took place and the ones that were avoided many years ago, the mystery still remains unsolved on how and why certain army leaders were victorious or gained a certain advantage because of the choices they made. On the other hand, it is also unknown on how or why an army leader failed to a certain extent

Sun Tzu made it clear that sometimes the best was to defeat your enemy is mentally and not physically. For example, he states that, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” This can be applied to modern times because people do not tend to fight anymore, but to try to outthink their opponent. Therefore, Sun Tzo was extremely wise for his generation because he realized that war is not always the best option. Another example that portrays Sun Tzu’s wisdom is that, “There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.” Thus, Sun Tzu already realized that war is not a idea that should be glorified, but is something that a country should try to be apart of very little.

This essay intends to define and give an overview of the ‘Principles of War', the philosophers that coined these principles and with examples from the various countries that used and have their own perspectives on the ‘Principles of War'.

As military members we are educated to think very linearly about strategy. For many years we have been trained to have a strategic thought process based on the use of a methodology that espouses three major steps: Ends (Objectives), Ways (Strategic Concepts), and Means (Resources). (Barber 1997)

The “Art of War” and “De Re Militari” two military treatises were written one continent and around five centuries apart by authors that came from two vastly different backgrounds and cultures. Both authors penned treatises intended to inform and educate commanders about war yet the underlying theme is not victory but to ensure the survivability of their soldiers in battle. Sun Tzu and Vegetius differ on their ideas of this specifically on the relationship the military holds between the governing body as well as relations with the civilian population. However, what they do come together on ideas of efficient battle that minimizes Soldier loss as much as possible.

While “The Art of War” was written by Sun Tzu during the 6th century B.C., long before the colonization of the Americas, the onslaught of the Crusades, and before the Persian Wars of around 490 B.C., it remains relevant to this day. There is also strong evidence that the work inspired Napoleon and was used in the planning of Operation Desert Storm. “The Art of War” has withstood the sands of time due to its simplistic approach, and its applicability to non-military strategies. “The Art of War“, interpreted by Gerald, A. Michaelson, as well as other authors, use Sun Tzu’s timeless strategies and apply them to the modern day corporate world.