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Critical analysis of the art of war sun tzu
Critical analysis of the art of war sun tzu
Critical analysis of the art of war sun tzu
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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 and what could have been done beforehand to prevent defeat. However, there was specific information on the subject of warfare documented by one of the greatest military strategists during the Era of Warring States, Sun Tzu, in his writing of The Art of War. Here are some key details of his documentation involving lessons learned and thorough observations about warfare, involving the forces of nature used as an advantage to potentially increase the chances of success or a disadvantage that would potentially lead to failure in a war.
One of the significant lessons on warfare and leadership put forth by Sun Tzu was having the ability to act in dynamic opposites as a tactical advantage when planning an attack. He had stated that “All warfare is based on deception” (Giles). If one’s own army is strong, one must command his soldiers to appear weak. It was of significant importance to create an illusion or a false image, like how soldiers would act weary or injured for the enemy to believe they hav...
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... effective in the battles that were fought, which took into consideration that not every battle is won. One can recognize that Sun Tzu was an incredibly intelligent leader and also an influential philosopher who aimed to master his ability of approaching war strategically and successfully. It was quite evident that he took Daoism into consideration on how the forces of nature would have a direct impact in determining the outcome of war. His comparisons involved a great deal of Yin and Yang, specifically motivated by the balance of strength and weakness. Lastly, one of the most important aspects of warfare was determining that sometimes the best victory was the battle that was never fought, in order to live and fight another day.
Works Cited
Giles, Lionel. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. 1994-2009. http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html (accessed December 2, 2013).
Hicks, Patrick. "War, Literature and the Arts." War, Literature and the Arts. An International Journal of the Humanitie, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. .
Once significant recurring theme affecting Japanese planning for war was the psychology of arrogance ...
Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1963.
Tim O’Brien states in his novel The Things They Carried, “The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (77). This profound statement captures not only his perspective of war from his experience in Vietnam but a collective truth about war across the ages. It is not called the art of combat without reason: this truth transcends time and can be found in the art produced and poetry written during the years of World War I. George Trakl creates beautiful images of the war in his poem “Grodek” but juxtaposes them with the harsh realities of war. Paul Nash, a World War I artist, invokes similar images in his paintings We are Making a New World and The Ypres Salient at Night. Guilaume Apollinaire’s writes about the beautiful atrocity that is war in his poem “Gala.”
The Art of War is a treatise written in Ancient China that discusses the most and least effective military strategies for successful warfare according to Sun Tzu, a military general whose existence is still debated to this day. While not every military commander in the history of warfare has read it, the strategies provided can be used as a way to assess said commanders and the effectiveness of their campaigns. In Sun Tzu 's own words, “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!”1 This paper will discuss various iconic battles throughout history and how closely the leading commanders of each army followed the advice of Sun Tzu. Despite the fact that Sun Tzu lived hundreds of years before many of these battles took place, the
It is interesting and even surprising that the two major strategies regarding war were developed by European contemporaries of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) approached his philosophy of war in a structured, scientific manner. Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) took a more fluid, open-ended approach to his philosophy of war. The fact that they lived during the same time period in Europe is also fascinating in that they likely knew of each others’ writings as well as potentially influenced and were influenced by the philosophy of the other. Jomini’s scientific approach is more applicable to the tactical and operational levels of war while Clausewitz approaches war as more of an art or interaction between people that is more appropriate to the strategic and political levels of war. Although their two war strategies are presented as opposing strategies, by comparing concepts from each of the theorists to the other theorist’s work shows that they are actually more complementary than competing in that they are addressing different levels of war. The concepts to be evaluated are Clausewitz’s “Trinity of War”, “war as a continuation of politics”, and the “unpredictability of war” as well as Jomini’s definition of strategy and his “Fundamental Principle of War”.
"The Internet Classics Archive | The Art of War by Sun Tzu." The Internet Classics Archive | The Art of War by Sun Tzu. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .
Kich, Martin. "The Wars." Cyclopedia Of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition (1998): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Carl von Clausewitz, “What is War?” On War. Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, 89-112. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976.
There are many different tactics that Sun Tzu made and relied on to gain victory over an enemy. In chapter three of The Art of War, Sun Tzu states, “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.” (Tzu 12). The chapter is titled “strategic offensive” and he discusses how to attack by stratagem. He explains that the best thing to do is to attack your enemy in its entirety rather than to destroy it. It seems like when you try to destroy your enemy little by little more time and energy is required. With this being said he believed that supreme excellence is not achieved when you attack and win over all of your conflicts. Sometimes losing a battle can help you understand or get the right
Cantrell, Robert L. "Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War." Preface. Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War. Arlington: Center For Advantage, 2003. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. http://www.artofwarsuntzu.com/1stChapter.pdf.
After twenty-five hundred years, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War still reigns supreme. In that long span of time, numerous empires have risen, expanded and collapsed. Wars have reached and ravaged almost every point on the planet. Humans have evolved from using swords and spears to using machine guns and missiles. Parts of the world have been colonized and have risen to prominence where once people thought there was no land. The Art of War has withstood all of this and stayed the most important source of military strategy for over two millennia. No other military document, and in fact few other written books at all, have come close to lasting this long. If ever asked: Can something as old as The Art of War remain relevant today, when it’s subject matter has changed so drastically in so long a time? The answer for now, and maybe forever, is a resounding ‘yes’.
The Art of War written by Sun Zi is the first book of war tactics in the world. Nearly every war in ancient China would apply the tactics in The Art of War. In Chu-Han war period, which was a famous historical incident that resulted in the establishment of Han Dynasty, many tactics in The Art of War were widespread used. The tactics in The Art of War influenced the success and failure of the Chu-Han war a lot. Liu Bang and his strategists applied the strategies well in the war therefore he finally won the war. Xiang Yu, in some cases, did not follow the tactics of war which result in his failure. This essay will use some famous Chu-Han incidents described in Shiji chapters as examples, and then tie the tactics to The Art of War. The essay will first analyze the tactics that Liu Bang and his strategists used which may lead the success of war and see how it tied to The Art of War. Then it will elaborate some successful tactical use in The Art of War of Xiang Yu. Finally it will analyze some tactical problem of Xiang Yu which may result in his failure.
Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general but most importantly a philosopher that lived in the 6th century BC. He is the author of The Art of War, a book about military strategy. The Art of war contains thirteen chapters all delivering keys to military strategy for success. It is a famous work of art that is used nowadays in many fields including business, sport and diplomacy. Business leaders develop strategies inspired form Sun Tzu ideas to reach their goals.
The translation of the “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” ancient Chinese text has been given by many different writers. Samuel B. Griffith, Brigadier General, retired, U.S. Marine Corps; is a proven strategist that studied the English commandoes war fighting skills as a Captain. As a Major, Griffith was hand picked to serve as Executive Officer under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Merritt Edson of the 1st Raider Battalion, one of the battalions that perfected the amphibious landings during World War II. Samuel B. Griffith gives his in-depth study on “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” and how Mao Tse-tung used the strategies and teachings of Sun Tzu while commanding the Red Army of China. Griffith’s translation of Sun Tzu’s work is written in three parts: Introduction, Translation, and Appendix.