• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Art Of War Anyone???

AlphaOmegaX

AlphaOmegaX

New Member
I have recently finished The Art Of War by Sun Tzu and I must say it left me with a sense of self somehow. I learned about terrain and attack strategy but somehow it affected me further and I feel more philisophical from the read. I would recommend it to everyone. Has anyone read this book?

~Josh
 
It's on the list of books to be read. I was loaned a copy once before but I wasn't ready for it so I didn't get very far. There are so many translations that I'd like to know which are the superior ones. An edition with useful endnotes/footnotes would be nice. Art of War is one of those books that has lasted long and kept its popularity. There's gotta be a reason.
 
In my opinion, the best book on war ever written. While parts of it are dated, the parts that aren't are extremely important. You can explain 100% of the US problems in Iraq with "The Art of War."

It's relevant to business strategy too. I referred to it in a business meeting a couple of days ago.

"The Art of War" transcends politics, but politics gets in the way of understanding "The Art of War." Too bad. People can agree to disagree on politics, but once you end up in a body bag, you are out of options.
 
First, a general statement. The book is a must read. I was always interested in ancient Chinese and Japanese culture then came across a deluxe edition of the book at borders for fourteen dollars and decided to snag it. Best buy yet.

Doug Johnson said:
In what way?
Click to expand...

You were referring to me saying I felt more philisophical from the book. To explain in simple terms. The way things are written and described in the text makes me look at life slightly different to better comprehend and explain the daily events I go through all the time. It comes out in my writing as well and has actually pushed me to write a few short rants on the American work force and the rules we as people make for ourselves. What an over explained answer. Oh well. I look forward to more replies.

~Josh
 
Yes, very good book. A must read for a being a well rounded person. If you really like it you should try reading Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Then tackle The Five Classics: Book of Changes (Yi Jing), Book of History (Shu Jing), Book of Odes (Shi Jing), Book of Ritual (Li Ji), Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu) Oh yes, the Tao Te Ching if you have not read it yet. Much of this is all out of the same time frame or close to as the Art of War. Except Musashi which came well after 1600 and in Japan. Enjoy!
 
Thaibebop said:
Yes, very good book. A must read for a being a well rounded person. If you really like it you should try reading Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Then tackle The Five Classics: Book of Changes (Yi Jing), Book of History (Shu Jing), Book of Odes (Shi Jing), Book of Ritual (Li Ji), Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu) Oh yes, the Tao Te Ching if you have not read it yet. Much of this is all out of the same time frame or close to as the Art of War. Except Musashi which came well after 1600 and in Japan. Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Thank you! Borders here I come.
 
AlphaOmegaX said:
has actually pushed me to write a few short rants on the American work force and the rules we as people make for ourselves. Josh
Click to expand...

Interesting. Could you explain the connections that you saw?
 
An absolutely amazing book, one with a timeless aspect to it. In reading it, I couldn't help but compare the advice to what the U.S. is doing in Iraq. I blogged those musings in a post which can be an enlightening read, any and all comments in response would be welcome as there are always different angles to look at things. If anything, I'm a pessimist and Sun Tzu perhaps confirmed that for me in a number of ways.

In my edition, there is an interesting forward about a debate concerning whether or not it was written in the historical era that it supposedly was written in. Not only that, but there is debate about who actually was Sun Tzu and whether or not that person existed. Scholarship and authorship aside, this is one that is just not to be missed. I also enjoyed reading in the forward about how Mao Zedong used the advice bout terrain and weather to his advantage against nationalist Chinese forces to become ultimately successful. Mao was evidently, a big fan of the book and read it with religious fervor.
 
Now we're talking. I thought the most appropriate passage in regards to Iraq was "Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you will win 100 battles out of 100" know one, win 50%, know neither and you'll lose them all.
 
Doug Johnson said:
Now we're talking. I thought the most appropriate passage in regards to Iraq was "Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you will win 100 battles out of 100" know one, win 50%, know neither and you'll lose them all.
Click to expand...

The line about deception as a basis for warfare reminded me of a few historical occurances. The allied use of inflatable tanks and airplanes in southern England to keep the germans off guard of where the allies were intending to land is a great example of this principle practiced rather adeptly. I'm also reminded me of the much renowned Flying Tigers squadron that flew P-40 WarHawks in WWII in China as a volunteer force. The pilots would repaint designs on the propeller cones to try and get the Japanese to believe that the P-40 squadrons were larger in number than they actually were.

The part about a protracted war being of no benefit EVER historically is also an interesting point. The 100 years war was a great example of this, not to mention America's own venture into Vietnam. The longer a conflict, the decreasing chances for victory. It's ironic as more time is essentially what we Americans are hearing about Iraq presently, namely, that more time is needed and that indefinite time is preferred. Not to delve into the topic at great depth(that dreaded "p" word finds itself on the board from time to time, so we won't wade too deeply into that pond:rolleyes: ) but it will be interesting to see whether or not victory ultimately comes about. If so, then there is a big exception to Sun Tzu's theory.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top