Learning the Art of War

I had heard of a book somewhere a few years ago that I always meant to read but I hadn't had a chance to get to it before now. Last week, I bought a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War and began reading it. I knew going in that it was a Chinese military treatise on how to fight and win wars but I didn't know just how useful it could be in aspects of "regular life." I began reading the book and taking notes. I wanted to try and apply some of the principles I've been studying in this book. It's broken down into 13 chapters, each dealing with a specific aspect of warfare:



1. Making Plans

2. Waging War

3. Strategic Offensive

4. Forms and Dispositions

5. Potential Energy

6. Empty and Full

7. The Fray

8. The Nine Changes

9. On the March

10. Forms of Terrain

11. The Nine Kinds of Ground

12. Attack by Fire

13. Espionage



I haven't finished reading it yet but already I have learned much from this. Reading The Art of War in a post-Bush America has only showed me just how many rules of the art of war were broken during the Bush presidency. Basically, it's a guide on how to win in combat and the factors that a successful leader must study and manipulate in his favor in order to achieve the best possible result. From proper planning to taking the offensive against your opponent to the use of espionage against an enemy, this slim volume is packed with information that can be of great help to someone willing to learn from it. Along with commentary from Chinese historians providing a more modern perspective of events quoted in the book and placing the book's events in the context of history, this is a useful book for people to study. If read carefully, this book will begin to make you think as to how you might approach any given situation.