The Art of War
Ratings462
Average rating3.7
An interesting read. I can see why this is a classic. Some of it seems like common sense and other parts are very informative.
Amazing piece of literature that can be implemented even in our modern lives, especially if you're part of some competition.
Horrible. Only the second book in my life I've ever had to bail on. What a waste of time.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Understanding the nature of war is of viral importance to the State. War is the place where life and death meet; it is the road to destruction or survival It demands study. War has five decisive factors, which you must take into account in your planning; you must fully understand their relevance. First is a Moral Compass; second is Heaven; third is Earth; fourth is the Commander; fifth is Regulation.
The Art of War
The Godfather
why
Lingering
System Failure
Fine. Read it because I've had this Epic Rap Battle of History stuck in my head all weekend as an earworm.
Like Seneca, the astounding thing is how relevant this stuff feels - even for (a) a person who is not a general engaging in war and (b) a person living 1,500 years later. Sun Tzu's advice is more practical than philosophical; the TL;DR is know yourself, know your enemy, know the land/circumstances, and then be smart about probabilities. He makes several comments about the impediments of ego or how destructive (and easily manipulable) heightened emotions can be - some of these felt directly applicable to Trumpism and anti-Trumpism.
I especially enjoyed his tips on judging what's happening in the enemy camp (“know your enemy”) by the nature, speed and dispersement of their smoke - e.g. smoke rising fast in a column is charioteers approaching; smoke rising slow and wide is infantry; little spurts of random smoke is encampment, etc.
Not much to say on this that hasn't been said before. Interesting, digestible content that can be applied to various parts of life. As a bonus, the book I bought has some beautiful traditional Chinese binding that I havent seen before.
It's interesting to think about how a book written so long ago has influenced huge things in modern times. I thought I would get bored, but it kept me engaged.
My 3 star rating is not because it is good or bad, but just because it is. I ended up reading this all because I had heard references to it in a number of shows and therefore asked about it. The response was to hand me this book.
Meh.
This is classically treated as a super-awesome treatise on how to wage a war, but it seems awfully obvious to me - attack when you have the advantage, retreat when you can't win, recognize the social and economic effects of the war you're fighting. I can't say that having read this improves my understanding of the whys and wherefores of war at all.
Works brilliantly as a guide for playing Magic: The Gathering strangely enough.