Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is an in-depth collection of the strategic, operational and tactical nature of warfare and military strategies and tactics. The author relates that this ancient military book "The Art of War" has been adopted in various business and management milieus. In first reading, the military aspects are prominent; however, the paper states that the reader realizes that this book is also Sun Tzu's diary because what he wrote was not based on theories or suppositions but rather were his every day experiences.


Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter I. Strategic Assessments
Chapter II. Doing Battle
Chapter III. Planning a Siege
Chapter IV. Formation
Chapter V. Force
Chapter VI. Emptiness and Fullness
Chapter VII. Armed Struggle
Chapter VIII. Adaptations
Chapter IX. Maneuvering Armies
Chapter X. Terrain
Chapter XI. Nine Grounds
Chapter XII. Fire Attack
Chapter XIII. On the Use of Spies
Perspectives and Opinions

From the Paper:

"Warfare is not a static or constant affair. It is instead and fluid and continuous engagement despite the lull perceive at times. The term "fog of war" is apropos to the reality of engaging the enemy wherein constant movement and engagement numbs the mind at times and it fails to determine who it is fighting. Thus, warfare should be fluid in a way that the better general controls and dictates the fluidity of the movement. Like an orchestra conductor, he must know the total meaning of the music and be able to call out each and any member of the orchestra at the right time to bring harmony to the song."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cleary, Thomas, trans. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1991.
• Giles, Leonard. Sun Tzu The Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World. 1910. 18 June 2007. <http://www.kimsoft.com/polwar.htm>.
• Gagliardi, Gary. Can Sun Tzu's Art of War Strategy Save You from Years of Painful Trial and Error? 2006. 18 June 2007. <http://www.scienceofstrategy.com/>.
• Literature Network. Sun Tzu. 2007. 18 June 2007. <http://www.online-literature.com/suntzu/>>

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