In “Sun Tzu and the Art of War,” Paul Kan explains the impacts of Sun Tzu’s famed treatise on war. Although little is known about Sun Tzu, The Art of War has been applied to many contemporary contexts from sports to relationships. Military educators often align this book with unconventional war in contrast to the supposed conventional war teachings of Carl von Clausewitz. The podcasts explore the impacts of the book and compare it to those of other Chinese philosophies of the time.
You have Sun Tzu saying, ‘This is kind of the environment in which we live. It’s bloodier; it’s more warlike, so you probably can’t be more peaceful. You probably can’t re-establish the old order. So maybe we can just make warfare less bloody and have it end more quickly.’
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Paul Kan is Professor of National Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this podcast are of the podcasters and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army, U.S. Army War College, or the Department of Defense.
Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Posts in the “Great Strategists” series:
- ON CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ (EPISODE 1)
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - KAUTILYA, THE ARTHASHASTRA, AND ANCIENT REALISM (EPISODE 3)
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - MAHAN AND SEA POWER (EPISODE 4)
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - THREE PIONEERS OF AIRPOWER
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - JOHN BOYD AND THE “OODA” LOOP
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - JOHN WARDEN AND THE ENEMY AS A SYSTEM
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - BEYOND THUCYDIDES: HERODOTUS, XENOPHON & UNDERSTANDING WAR
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF WAR — THUCYDIDES
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO WAR? ANTOINE-HENRI JOMINI
(GREAT STRATEGISTS) - HOW MUCH FOR THE PEN? SCHELLING
(GREAT STRATEGISTS)
A captivating discussion. Thank you.
A concise, well-informed, and insightful presentation and discussion of this enduringly influential and fascinating work. Thank you!