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The art of war is an ancient chinese treatise that has been widely applied for almost 3000 years. Although growing up under East Asian culture, I never read this book but always heard people citing quotes from this it. The philosophy is super pragmatic and can apply in not only war but every perspective of life including commercial, sport, and interpersonal relationship.
In this article, we will introduce the basic idea of this book from a unique angle.
Background
The art of war dates from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC) in China. During that time, the Zhou Dynasty separated into around 140 countries, and 400 to 500 significant battles happened. Even though countless battles happened, dukes/warlords did not understand how to implement strategies. For example, in the Battle of Hongshui, when one troop was crossing the river and was vulnerable, it’s enemy refused to attack them because it is not a gentlemen’s behavior to attack someone when they are weak. Sun Tzu wrote this book to teach how to win wars and administrate a country.
Core philosophy: Break the enemy’s resistance with minimal cost.
Although this is a military treatise, the core philosophy is actually peace. We can see this spirit from Chapter 3, “Attack by Stratagem”
