The Art of War

by Sun-Tzu

A Book Review by Scott Hughes

Sun-tzu wrote The Art of War during the sixth century BC. The book contains 13 chapters, each one dedicated to facet of warfare.

We can judge the awesomeness of The Art of War based on the fact that it still holds its value today. In addition to its historical value to historians, the book still amazingly retains its full value in its ability to advise the reader, because one can apply the wisdoms to more than archaic militarism. For example, in The Art of War, Sun-tzu says, " The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities... It is best to win without fighting." Although Sun-tzu meant it in the context of military strategy, that advice applies to all conflicts and "fighting" can mean more than just violence.

The way the wisdom can apply to the lives of common civilians in the modern world exemplifies the book as a whole. Sun-tzu meant the writings to guide military strategy in ancient China, but the extraordinary wisdom used to create his philosophy can lend itself to the non-violent lives of modern civilians. In other words, readers can easily take the points in the book as metaphors, even though Sun-tzu meant them literally.

Businessman especially can use the teachings of The Art of War, because the competition between modern businesses in the corporate world mirrors the competition between ancient militaries. They even consume each other in analogous ways. Enemy nations synthesized after one beats the other militarily, and today competing corporations merge when one buys out the other.

All in all, with The Art of War Sun-tzu produced a great read that offers wisdom in the form of military strategy that can apply to life's daily obstacles, goals, and conflicts.

"A leader leads by example not by force." - Sun-tzu

"It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle." -Sun-tzu

Buy The Art of War: The oldest military treatise in the world (Miniature book)