Art Of War
Essays

Composed by Sun Tzu in the 6th century B.C.E., The Art of War is basically a Chinese military manual which instructs the reader on how to wage war related to strategy and war tactics on the battlefield.

¶ … Art of War, by Sun Tzu, as Applied to Business Strategy Today

This paper focuses on The Art of War by Sun Tsu. In this paper the writer answers the three subsequent questions: What are the main points of The Art of War by Sun Tsu? What basic principles did Sun Tsu contend were vital for success in warfare? How has Sun Tsu's principles been applied, especially in the modern world?

Sun Tzu and his famous book The Art of War cannot be understood apart from the Chinese cultural and historical context that produced them, although his concepts were widely borrowed and imitated over the past 2,000 years. He was a contemporary of Confucius, after all, and his assumptions about warfare were harmonized within that philosophical tradition. Warfare was an evil, a waste and cause of disharmony and disorder, especially when it was prolonged. It was a waste of lives as well as the resources of the state, and should therefore be avoided through deterrence and clever diplomacy, and only then be used as a last resort. The most brilliant commander was the one who was able to defeat the enemy without fighting battles, although if these had to be fought then they should be won quickly and decisively.

Jomini's the Art of War is based on the authors experiences in the Crimean War and the Napoleonic Wars. War is presented as an art, and yet Jomini's emphasis is on strategy and decisiveness.

¶ … connecting the reader with the time period in which it was written. This is why the writings of the distant past, even in translation, are among the most fascinating to modern scholars.

War has been a part of the human condition since humans first stood upright thousands of years ago. Every culture and society has engaged in it, while simultaneously attempting to control and eliminate it.

In his famous book The Art of War, Sun-zi (Sun Tzu) was evidently influenced by Confucian ideals, such as his statements about the avoiding prolonged war if possible and the most successful generals being those who…

Niccolo Machiavelli denotes a very definite relationship between politics and war in the political treatise The Art of War. The relationship is causal, with war functioning to suit the needs of the political elite who run the state. Several passages within this book substantiate these claims, including the those pertaining to the most desirable sort of government.