The Art of War (Penguin Classics)

The art of war is the art to deceive: 'Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength'.
Sun Tzu is a master of psychological warfare: sap the morale of your enemy and be cleverer (wisdom, not force alone).
For him, 'supreme excellence is to subdue the enemy without fighting.'

His strategy is based on foreknowledge (spying) in order to know the strength and weaknesses (political, geographical, defensive, offensive) of your enemy. And if you are not strong enough, you should be cleverer through diplomacy.

His tactics are flexibility, gaining the initiative and not fighting a protracted war.

This text is rightly a classic. People who launch 'preventive wars' should follow a few of Sun Tzu's recommendations.
On the other hand, it tells a lot about mankind that one of the first classics of literature doesn't have the title 'The Art of Peace'.


A few grains of truth in a lot of chaff   June 28, 2005
 10 out of 40 found this review helpful

If you are going to buy a copy You can not go wrng with "Penguin Clasics".

Today many of Sun Tzu quotas are floating around mixed with Shakespeare and the Bible. And as with many of the quote they are out of context and misleading. The quoter usually thinks repeating the word is some sort of magic.

It is easy with hindsight and a closer look at the future to dismiss Sun Tzu as his practical tactical knowledge is of a time and place long gone. He spends a lot of time on the use of weapons and information gathering techniques of the time. This can be interesting in a historical context; other wise it is quite amusing.

Oh yes those grains of truth I mentioned, well they may sound like clichés but they are still viable. "Know your enemy and know yourself". Others are just practical sense and statistical outcomes that you learn in any military training. I could go through the list, but again that is why you buy the book.

Now just as you decide that the book is outdated for any practical purposes today we have artillery and now stealth and precision, the reminder that "no two wars are alike" and "it is flexibility that makes a difference" is being shown today to still be true. Even in today's wars there is a need for good intelligence and deception. We put a lot of time and energy into Psy-Ops. Sun Tzu shows the advantage in specialized units and crack troops.

I have spent several years in the military and in business and can say this book is a nice addition to history, otherwise of very little value to today's world for war.

As a Project Manager I can tell you that this book has little value to today's business. Projects are about efficiency, cooperation, and ROI not war.


Very interesting if a little generic   April 10, 2005
 17 out of 19 found this review helpful

This text about battles is worth reading for anyone who comes into any form of conflict. Much of the text is still directly relevant ("to defeat your enemy without fighting is the highest excellence") and some of it is, on the face of it, much less so (like the section about determining whether chariots or foot soldiers are approaching). Even the less obviously useful passages can impart a degree of insight if they are considered carefully (think in terms of looking ahead to see what is coming, be it a political wrangle at work or the literal horse-drawn chariots).

It's also a useful text to quote when uttering surreal-sounding quips in meetings at work. I'm glad this is on my shelf.


A Classic Military Text   August 14, 2004
 9 out of 30 found this review helpful

Sun Tzu has remained of relevance for 2,000 years. some of his maxims, such as "to win without war is the highest excellence" have obtained wide currency. His work might be well studied by, not generals, but would-be "great war leaders" (without a jot of military experience or knowledge) like George W. Bush, "Dick" Cheney and Tony Blair. Having said that, the Soviet G.R.U. made "The Art of War" a standard text...and we all know what happened to the Soviet Union (and their record in, inter alia, Afghanistan and Chechnya...).

It is said that Sun Tzu is still one of the major philosophical influences on the Chinese leadership; if so, that is a point worth noting, as China ("without war"...) takes over more and more of the world. Think about it...


Classic work of strategy, often misapplied   February 11, 2004
 86 out of 96 found this review helpful

The Art of War is one of the foundational works of strategic thinking. Essentially it is a treatise on the principles of warfare based on ancient Chinese military history.

The growth in academic and business study of strategy has given this book hugely increased popularity over the last twenty years. However, strategic principles are often extracted and applied haphazardly, based on what the reader was looking for.

It is important to keep this book in its context. Some of the principles - such as 'to win without fighting is the highest achievement' are obviously of general applicability. Others, such as 'when plumes of dust are seen, chariots are approaching' are clearly of little relevance to modern business. However, when faced with 'in a forced march of 100 li the commander will fall', you may decide that there is a useful application or you may not.

Likewise, you may find it entertaining to quote Sun Tzu to your colleagues, and it may give a flavour of authority to your strategy proposals. If you do so, though, you ought to recognise that your application is your own interpretation, not something intrinsic to the text.

If you are reading this book because you want to learn about Chinese military history, or because you want to understand the way early strategists thought, I believe you will find it enjoyable and rewarding.

On the other hand, if you are using this book as a way of developing your own strategic skills, I would recommend that you read it in conjunction with Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel's 'Strategy Safari', and particularly note the critique of the Positioning school of strategy. The dangers are all too great of finding in Sun Tzu echoes of ideas that you already hold, and then imagining that these are supported by ancient authority.