Sun Tzu

[Old Eagle]

Question: What is the best text to use to teach Sun Tzu?

I just got lateraled a course in strategic masters. No big surprize that Sun Tzu is one of the masters. When I went to Amazon to see what books are available, I learned that there are WAY too many. I have my Griffith's copy from active duty days, and the school uses Caleb Carr's Book of War.

I welcome any insights you well read contributors might have.

[J Wolfsberger]

Question: What is the best text to use to teach Sun Tzu?

I just got lateraled a course in strategic masters. No big surprize that Sun Tzu is one of the masters. When I went to Amazon to see what books are available, I learned that there are WAY too many. I have my Griffith's copy from active duty days, and the school uses Caleb Carr's Book of War.

I welcome any insights you well read contributors might have.

I'd use the Griffith copy and handouts.

[Backwards Observer]

The 1963 hardcover copy of Griffith's translation was usually the first thing I'd throw in a suitcase when travelling, it has wabi. The more recent Denma translation is unusually insightful, in this reader's opinion, but possibly overestimates the potential of the human mind to foster mutually positive outcomes under real world conditions.

Art Of War (http://www.victoryoverwar.com) - Denma Group

Interview with Denma Group (http://www.sonshi.com/denma.html) - sonshi.com

http://epguides.com/HaveGunWillTravel/cast.jpg

[Backwards Observer]

[...] [A] former PLA Colonel, I met in London, assured me that no-one in the PLA ever refers to the book as the "The Art of War." - and that the Griffith translation has substantial errors. He recommended the RL Wing translation as being the most accurate.

'nuff said, I guess.:)

The Art of Strategy by R.L. Wing (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Strategy-Translation-Tzus-Classic/dp/0385237847) - amazon
...


R. L. Wing's version of the Art of War addresses the notion that we are warring with conflict. In our lives we face nonnegotiable conflicts and we must move or limit their impact, or we will have to lower our standards for success. Each chapter in this book begins with a reflection on 4 types of conflict: with the self, with the environment, with another, and among leaders. These help the reader approach the Art of War not just as mere battle planning in combat, but the reader can begin to plan and execute a strategy that accomplishes a goal. These might be personal or related to your livelihood, or it may be about how to talk with family members or co-workers, or just about how to adjust the relationship itself. R. L. Wing helps the reader open up to things from a new perspective with these 4 subject areas. The Conflict Among Leaders section looks at inter-organizational communication and conflict, which is best solved by planning and preparation so that the triumph is obvious and both entities are preserved. This is the essence of the Art of War, that when your action affects many other people, then your aim is to capture and convert the enemy and it's resources, not wantonly destroy them. (from bullshido.net review by Dr._Tzun_Tzu)

Art of Strategy by RL Wing - Review (http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=103659) - bullshido.net

[davidbfpo]

A review of Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read The Art of War by Derek M Yuen:http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2015/01/10/book-review-deciphering-sun-tzu-how-to-read-the-art-of-war/

Taster:
It is likely that reading ....is very much a light bulb moment for commentators on Western strategic thought, as the quote at the start of this review highlights the secret of the Chinese dialectical system and why it is predisposed to strategic thinking.

On the surface....appears to be such a new piece of work that comparison and analysis is tricky. The strategic literature is well defined. Not since Martin van Creveld’s On Future War (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-War-Martin-Van-Creveld/dp/0080417965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417380295&sr=8-1&keywords=on+future+war) has there been a serious attempt to break the stranglehold of the Clausewitzian Trinity on Western strategic thinking. However, the philosophical segment of the book is arguably the most important.

..... is primarily geared to the experienced strategic commentator as knowledge is needed to grasp some of the subtleties of the argument put forward. However, an inexperienced reader on the subject would still be able to gain the importance of understanding different culture and perspectives in which something is written, but they may lack the depth of knowledge specifically targeted in the book.