The intelligent mind will find all measure of ways to overcome even the most difficult challenges, up to and including winning a war with another human being.
The Art of War presents a philosophy of war for managing conflicts and winning battles. It is accepted as a masterpiece on strategy and frequently cited and referred to by generals and theorists since it was first published, translated, and distributed internationally.
This is a must read for all military officers and business leaders. It rated a perfect five hearts.
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Sun Tzu is Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher.
Sun Tzu on the Art of War, an ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy, is now required reading at military, business, and law schools in the United States and around the world. Possibly no book in history better describes how to win conflicts in any profession. Those who must succeed in highly competitive environments frequently use Sun Tzu’s philosophies as the cornerstone of their ways.
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The Art Of War is a required reading for all CIA officers and is used by top professionals in many fields. Major users include:
1.National Defense University
2. U.S. Marine Corp
3.Hewlett-Packard
4. Intel
5. American Medical Systems
6. National War College in Washington DC
7.Microsoft
8. US Department of Defense
9.Boeing
10.General Dynamics
11. Sandia Laboratories
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I. LAYING PLANS
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s
deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and
discipline.
5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow
him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
7. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
8. Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes;
the chances of life and death.
9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
10. By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions,
the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach
the army, and the control of military expenditure.
11. These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he
who knows them not will fail.
12. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be
made the basis of a comparison, in this wise:—
13. (1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven
and Earth?
(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
(5) Which army is stronger?
(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
(7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?
14. By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.
15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be
retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer
defeat:—let such a one be dismissed!
16. While heading the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and
beyond the ordinary rules.
17. According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one’s plans.
18. All warfare is based on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem
inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we
must make him believe we are near.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow
arrogant.
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.
The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations
lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention
to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
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Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War
Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War explores the meaning of Sun Tzu’s philosophies through the use of high impact case examples, most involving American or British military forces. While also presenting strategic tools for use in any professional contest, Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War never lets readers forget that the original Chinese text is about war. For those with an interest in current military events, this book provides fertile ground for discussion. For all professions, military or otherwise, this book gets to the heart of effective and efficient competitive strategy.
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Sun Zi Art of War (Sun Tzu) in One Minute
Because my English translation may not capture the full meaning of the original Chinese, I keep the original Chinese text for comparison by those who know the language well. In the mind-map above, the orange color box with R: x:y represents the Chapter x and Verse y of the original text so that reader can quickly find the original verse or chapter to read for himself.
Warfare is a matter of utmost importance as it affects the survival of the country. It is divided into 4 main parts:
1. Five Factors to manage well.
1. Mission & Values (Leadership and Organization)
2. Seasons, Trends and Timing.
3. Terrain or Positioning
4. Commanders (their qualities and capabilities)
5. Laws or Policies
2. Appraise
or audit, or do a health check on Seven-Measures.
1. The seven measures are related to the five factors. It is the extent and success of the five factors and the morale and capability of the men. More details are given in mind-maps that follow.
2. This scoring or assessment system is like the Singapore Quality Awards or Deming Awards.
3.Appraise the Situation by looking at the measures, and make comparison with the enemies so that we can arrive at a conclusion on the probability of winning.
1. Individual scoring is of not much use. It must be compared against the scoring our competitors (the enemies) to reveal our relative strength or weaknesses and then deriving the right strategies.
2. This is like doing the SWOT analysis well - deriving strategies to ride on the opportunities, overcome or convert the threats into opportunities.
3. A key principle is to know the enemy/competitors and to know oneself.
4.A list of Good Strategies and tactics.
1. Sun Zi tells us the main strategy of war against the enemy is by surprising the enemy, and this is main achieved by deception. Deception is achieved with the "Invert" operator. Making strong look weak; weak to appear strong etc (Sun Zi provides quite a list. See Sun Zi Art of War-5: The Principles for Good Strategies ).
2. Sun Zi also covers the strategies exploit the five factors above.
3. There is not one right strategy or pattern for all situations. The KEY is to be agile, flexible and adaptable to exploit the situations.
4. There are also strategies in the use of fire (in today terms, may be artillery or air raids) and the use of spies (espionage) to collect intelligence and to give false information to misled the enemy.
Sun Zi stresses a lot on planning before action. Planning that are based on facts, situations, intelligences on the enemy, and then try to gain advantages over the enemy. Early probing and careful planning provide decisive committed action at the right time and place to gain a win in the shortest possible time. Posturing of Power 势(accumulation of strength) and then a decisive control 节 release at the right time is key to early success. Lack of power or releasing too early or late are bad.
As much as I love the Art of War and Sun Tzu's genius view on tactical warfare and management in general, I don't see why this is in the general discussion.
Moving to the Void.
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As much as I love the Art of War and Sun Tzu's genius view on tactical warfare and management in general, I don't see why this is in the general discussion.
Moving to the Void.
bitch got owned
were is your war god now
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Is that photo up top a real copy of the original?
It looks much thinner than I magined it.
Unless each character is a whole sentence by itself.
I thought it would be at least three times as big.
The Art Of War -
01-17-2011, 08:53 PM
01-28-2011, 11:13 AM
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