The Art of War - Revision history

YellowHatGuy at 04:41, 5 June 2021

2021-06-05T04:41:16Z

YellowHatGuy: /* Attack by Stratagem */

2020-10-30T17:09:02Z

Attack by Stratagem

YellowHatGuy: /* Attack by Stratagem */

2020-10-30T17:08:05Z

Attack by Stratagem

YellowHatGuy: /* Strategic Assessment */

2020-10-30T17:06:35Z

Strategic Assessment

YellowHatGuy at 17:04, 30 October 2020

2020-10-30T17:04:45Z

YellowHatGuy at 20:18, 25 March 2017

2017-03-25T20:18:35Z

YellowHatGuy: /* Special Commentary on the Use and Deployment of Spies */

2016-12-03T03:42:47Z

Special Commentary on the Use and Deployment of Spies

YellowHatGuy: /* Special Commentary on the Use and Deployment of Spies */

2016-12-03T03:34:46Z

Special Commentary on the Use and Deployment of Spies

YellowHatGuy: /* Maneuvering */

2016-12-03T03:28:26Z

Maneuvering

YellowHatGuy: /* Variations and Adaptations */

2016-12-03T03:27:40Z

Variations and Adaptations

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:41, 5 June 2021
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−	Among the earliest strategy treatises was ''''''The Art of War''''', by Sun-tzu. Sun-tzu ("Master Sun") was an ancient Chinese general and royal military advisor -- and that’s pretty much all that is known about him; most of the details of when, where -- or even if -- he lived are the subjects of scholarly debates. Sun-tzu is generally accepted to have lived from 544-496 BCE, making him contemporaneous with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius Confucius], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras Pythagoras], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Prc1UfuokY Leonidas I].	+	Among the earliest strategy treatises was '''''The Art of War''''', by Sun-tzu. Sun-tzu ("Master Sun") was an ancient Chinese general and royal military advisor -- and that’s pretty much all that is known about him; most of the details of when, where -- or even if -- he lived are the subjects of scholarly debates. Sun-tzu is generally accepted to have lived from 544-496 BCE, making him contemporaneous with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius Confucius], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras Pythagoras], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Prc1UfuokY Leonidas I].

	Sun-tzu reduced the discussion of warfare into its most abstract and generalized form, and in doing so, ceased to discuss warfare, ''per se''. Instead, it became a discussion about the nature of conflict itself. This level of abstraction gives ''The Art of War'' its enduring power, and it is why it has only gained popularity over the past 2,500 years, when countless other books have been forever lost to us due to time and obscurity. At first, ''The Art of War'' sounds like a mere list of military maxims for officer candidates in the service academies and university ROTC departments. In reality, ''The Art of War'' provides general guidelines for anyone who experiences any sort of conflict in their lives (i.e., everyone). ''The Art of War'' contains simple, but timeless, wisdom that can apply to running a small business, winning a high school football game, and dealing with cliques of mean girls just as easily as it applies to fistfights, resistance cells, or world wars.		Sun-tzu reduced the discussion of warfare into its most abstract and generalized form, and in doing so, ceased to discuss warfare, ''per se''. Instead, it became a discussion about the nature of conflict itself. This level of abstraction gives ''The Art of War'' its enduring power, and it is why it has only gained popularity over the past 2,500 years, when countless other books have been forever lost to us due to time and obscurity. At first, ''The Art of War'' sounds like a mere list of military maxims for officer candidates in the service academies and university ROTC departments. In reality, ''The Art of War'' provides general guidelines for anyone who experiences any sort of conflict in their lives (i.e., everyone). ''The Art of War'' contains simple, but timeless, wisdom that can apply to running a small business, winning a high school football game, and dealing with cliques of mean girls just as easily as it applies to fistfights, resistance cells, or world wars.

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 #'''Preemptive Strikes.''' Discern enemy plots when they are still in their planning phases; spies can help with this. Then make proactive surprise attacks or other maneuvers to stop the enemy before they can start.
 #'''Diplomatic Sabotage.''' Prevent your enemy from drawing upon the strength of others by sabotaging their alliances, friendships, or interpersonal relations. Enemy alliances are the most vulnerable in their earliest stages, when they are still getting to know each other. Also, when alliances are strained, the enemy must work to preserve their relations, and they will be distracted by the negotiation's extra workload. Diplomatic sabotage can be a proactive measure; by befriending powerful people first, you become more intimidating, and the enemy is left with fewer options.
-#'''Direct Confrontation.''' ''If you enter a situation where you must fight, you have failed.'' Even if you are victorious at battle, you will be a failure as a planner. However, if you do find yourself in a fighting situation, your options will be a function of your numerical superiority:
+#'''Direct Confrontation.''' ''If you enter a situation where you must fight, you have failed.'' Even if you are victorious as a commander, you will have failed as a planner. However, if you do find yourself in a fighting situation, your options will be a function of your numerical superiority:
 #*''Severely outnumbered opponents should be encircled.'' Encircling prevents escape, but it requires troops to be spread over a large area, which runs the risk of spreading them too thin. As such, encircling maneuvers should only be used when you have a >10:1 advantage.
 #*''Moderately outnumbered opponents (5:1) should be attacked with pincer movements.'' Devote 60% of your forces to direct confrontation, and use the remaining 40% to attack from another angle.

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 #'''Stacking the Deck.''' Through planning and preparation, rig the situation until it is so wildly biased in your favor that your opponents simply have no means or opportunity to ever cause trouble.
-#'''Preemptive Strikes.''' Discern enemy plots when they are still in their planning phases (spies can help with this), and make proactive surprise attacks or other maneuvers to stop the enemy before they can start.
+#'''Preemptive Strikes.''' Discern enemy plots when they are still in their planning phases; spies can help with this. Then make proactive surprise attacks or other maneuvers to stop the enemy before they can start.
 #'''Diplomatic Sabotage.''' Prevent your enemy from drawing upon the strength of others by sabotaging their alliances, friendships, or interpersonal relations. Enemy alliances are the most vulnerable in their earliest stages, when they are still getting to know each other. Also, when alliances are strained, the enemy must work to preserve their relations, and they will be distracted by the negotiation's extra workload. Diplomatic sabotage can be a proactive measure; by befriending powerful people first, you become more intimidating, and the enemy is left with fewer options.
 #'''Direct Confrontation.''' ''If you enter a situation where you must fight, you have failed.'' Even if you are victorious at battle, you will be a failure as a planner. However, if you do find yourself in a fighting situation, your options will be a function of your numerical superiority:

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 Once the initial assessments and comparisons are complete, you can create a strategy, and use this strategy to deploy your subordinates in the most efficient way. Bear in mind, that all ''conflict has no standardized form, and conflict is driven by deception.'' If your enemy discerns your strategy, they can counter it. Therefore, strategies must be secrets. If you are strong, appear weak. If you are skilled, appear incompetent. If you are brave, appear timid. Use humility to make your enemies arrogant. Lull your opponents into writing you off, so that they drop their guard. (Many people commented over the years about how the wooden, awkward, and bumbling Clark Kent looked just like Superman -- ''but no one believed it could be true, “knowing” what they “knew” about Clark''. Though they could see through his horn-rimmed glasses, they could not see through their perception of him; they could not see through his obvious deceit.)
-''There is no perfect or universal strategy or tactic'' -- nor can there ever be. ''Weaknesses exist within every system.'' If conflicts were reduced to a step-by-step procedure, then interrupting any step would halt and hang up the entire strategy, like a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrupt crashing computer program]. The strength of a strategy lies in the strategist’s ability to adjust their plans to account for changing situations. Conflict is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_theory chaotic system]; the end results can vary greatly due to small changes of the initial conditions. Although a generalized conflict resolution algorithm cannot not exist, there are several partial strategies that have consistently proven themselves to be successful. In the end, the situation itself must dictate your plans, but the following approaches should be strongly considered:
+''There is no perfect or universal strategy or tactic'' -- nor can there ever be. ''Weaknesses exist within every system.'' If conflicts were reduced to a step-by-step procedure, then interrupting any step would halt and hang up the entire strategy, like a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrupt crashing computer program]. The strength of a strategy lies in the strategist’s ability to adjust their plans to account for changing situations. Conflict is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_theory chaotic system]; the end results can vary greatly due to small changes of the initial conditions. Although [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_incompleteness_theorems a generalized conflict resolution algorithm cannot exist], there are several partial strategies that have consistently proven themselves to be successful. In the end, the situation itself must dictate your plans, but the following approaches should be strongly considered:
 * '''[[The Four Poisons | Confuse]] your opponents prior to attacking them.''' When you want to attack something far off, act as though you were about to attack something nearby, and vice-versa.

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-Among the earliest strategy treatises was The Art of War, by Sun-tzu. Sun-tzu ("Master Sun") was an ancient Chinese general and royal military advisor -- and that’s pretty much all that is known about him; most of the details of when, where -- or even if -- he lived are the subjects of scholarly debates. Sun-tzu is generally accepted to have lived from 544-496 BCE, making him contemporaneous with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius Confucius], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras Pythagoras], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Prc1UfuokY Leonidas I].
+Among the earliest strategy treatises was ''''''The Art of War''''', by Sun-tzu. Sun-tzu ("Master Sun") was an ancient Chinese general and royal military advisor -- and that’s pretty much all that is known about him; most of the details of when, where -- or even if -- he lived are the subjects of scholarly debates. Sun-tzu is generally accepted to have lived from 544-496 BCE, making him contemporaneous with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius Confucius], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras Pythagoras], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Prc1UfuokY Leonidas I].
-Sun-tzu reduced the discussion of warfare into its most abstract and generalized form, and in doing so, ceased to discuss warfare, per se.  Instead, it became a discussion about the nature of conflict itself. This level of abstraction gives The Art of War its enduring power, and it is why it has only gained popularity over the past 2,500 years, when countless other books have been forever lost to us due to time and obscurity. At first, The Art of War sounds like a mere list of military maxims for officer candidates in the service academies and university ROTC departments. In reality, The Art of War provides general guidelines for anyone who experiences any sort of conflict in their lives -- which is to say, everyone. The Art of War contains simple, but timeless, wisdom that can apply to running a small business, winning a high school football game, and dealing with cliques of mean girls just as easily as it applies to fistfights, resistance cells, or world wars.
+Sun-tzu reduced the discussion of warfare into its most abstract and generalized form, and in doing so, ceased to discuss warfare, ''per se''.  Instead, it became a discussion about the nature of conflict itself. This level of abstraction gives ''The Art of War'' its enduring power, and it is why it has only gained popularity over the past 2,500 years, when countless other books have been forever lost to us due to time and obscurity. At first, ''The Art of War'' sounds like a mere list of military maxims for officer candidates in the service academies and university ROTC departments. In reality, ''The Art of War'' provides general guidelines for anyone who experiences any sort of conflict in their lives (i.e., everyone). ''The Art of War'' contains simple, but timeless, wisdom that can apply to running a small business, winning a high school football game, and dealing with cliques of mean girls just as easily as it applies to fistfights, resistance cells, or world wars.
-The teachings presented in The Art of War mesh so well with everyday life in a modern world because, ironically, Sun-tzu advocates non-violence. (Case and point, the chapter on scorched earth tactics is mostly spent trying to talk the reader out of using scorched earth tactics.) According to Sun-tzu, ''the ideal strategy is to cultivate a position which is so secure that the enemy has no choice but to surrender.'' Barring that, you are to ''physically and spiritually wear your enemies out, to coax them into quitting. Conflict is presented as being expensive and unproductive. The real goal is to win, not to fight. Enemies are to be assimilated, not destroyed, so you can [https://youtu.be/7owO8m2A-bA?t=3m45s take their strength and grow stronger and stronger].'' If conflict is unavoidable, then ''attacks should be limited to surgical strikes directed at the enemy’s weakest spots.''
+The teachings presented in ''The Art of War'' mesh so well with everyday life in the modern world because, ironically, Sun-tzu advocates non-violence. (Case and point, the chapter on "scorched earth" tactics was mostly spent trying to talk the reader out of using "scorched earth" tactics.) According to Sun-tzu, ''the ideal strategy is to cultivate a position which is so secure that the enemy has no choice but to surrender.'' Barring that, you are to ''physically and spiritually wear your enemies out, to coax them into quitting. Conflict is expensive and unproductive, so the real goal is winning, not fighting. Enemies are to be assimilated, not destroyed, so you can [https://youtu.be/7owO8m2A-bA?t=3m45s take their strength and grow stronger and stronger].'' If conflict is unavoidable, then ''attacks should be limited to surgical strikes directed at the enemy’s weakest spots.''
-The Art of War consists of a series of brief, expository statements, which were expanded upon by various commentators throughout history While profound, Sun-tzu can be difficult to fully understand; Sun-tzu's statements are often vague, obtuse, and mysterious. This makes sense, as much of his book is devoted to the benefits of being formless and mysterious. However, this also makes Sun-tzu difficult to learn from. This is why we have not posted the full text of his work; instead, we provide a “Cliff’s Notes” for this ancient text; a “Schaum’s Outlines” for dealing with conflict. The distilled essence of the principles Sun-tzu was trying to teach rendered in a standard English prose can be found below.
+''The Art of War'' consists of a series of brief, expository statements, which were expanded upon by various commentators throughout history. While profound, Sun-tzu can be difficult to fully understand; Sun-tzu's statements are often vague, obtuse, and mysterious. This makes sense, since much of his book is devoted to the benefits of being formless and mysterious. However, this also makes Sun-tzu difficult to learn from. This is why we have not posted the full text of his work; instead, we provide a “Cliff’s Notes” for this ancient text; a “Schaum’s Outlines” for dealing with conflict. The distilled essence of the principles Sun-tzu was trying to teach rendered in a standard English prose can be found below.
 ==Strategic Assessment==
 The study of conflict can literally be of life-and-death importance for an individual or organization. Conflict is just the application of advantages and disadvantages, which is critical for determining which paths in life will inevitably lead to your survival, or to your destruction.
-A successful leader starts out by assessing five criteria, and uses this assesment to compares themselves to their enemy, to determine the conditions of the conflict. ''To ignore this initial assessment is to invite defeat''. The criteria to be assessed are:
+A successful leader starts out by assessing five criteria, and uses this assessment to compares themselves to their enemy, to determine the conditions of the conflict. ''To ignore this initial assessment is to invite defeat''. The criteria to be assessed are:
 #'''The Way.''' To follow [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao the Way] is to win the hearts of the people through virtue. When subordinates buy into their leader’s plans and intentions, they are willing to endure danger and sacrifice, since their goals coincide with the leader’s goals, and vice-versa. If you treat your subordinates with humanity and justice, you will never have to give an order; you only need to ask for favors.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 25 March 2017
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	Spies deserve the most special treatment and privileges of all of your subordinates -- because in the end, it is the spies who do the most for your organization. Nothing is more secret than espionage, and spies lead difficult lives -- if they are discovered, it could mean death. Poorly-treated spies could always secretly accept enemy bribes or counter-offers, become reverse spies, and completely undermine you -- so you must give them an incentive not too.		Spies deserve the most special treatment and privileges of all of your subordinates -- because in the end, it is the spies who do the most for your organization. Nothing is more secret than espionage, and spies lead difficult lives -- if they are discovered, it could mean death. Poorly-treated spies could always secretly accept enemy bribes or counter-offers, become reverse spies, and completely undermine you -- so you must give them an incentive not too.
		+
		+
		+	----
		+	{{Navigation}}

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 #* Your reverse spy can tell you how the enemy is likely to be deceived, and how your dead spies can exploit this.
 #* The conditions and information provided by reverse spies will direct and assist living spies with their missions.
-# '''Dead Spy.''' If you uncover a spy who has infiltrated your organization (and they cannot be bribed into becoming a reverse spy), do not harm them. Known enemy spies are useful, since they can be provided with false information to report back. The enemy will accept this false information as being true, since it came from an allegedly reliable source, and they will base their strategy upon these lies. This results in the enemy wasted their time, energy, and resources as they concentrate their efforts where they are needed the least. When the enemy eventually learns that all their plans were sabotaged by their own spy, it typically ends badly for the spy. Thus the name, “dead spy.”
+# '''Dead Spy.''' If you uncover a spy who has infiltrated your organization (and they cannot be bribed into becoming a reverse spy), do not harm them. Known enemy spies are useful, since they can be provided with false information to report back. The enemy will accept this false information as being true, since it came from an allegedly reliable source, and they will base their strategy upon these lies. This results in the enemy wasting their time, energy, and resources as they concentrate their efforts on where they are needed the least. When the enemy eventually learns that their plans were sabotaged by their own spy, it typically ends badly for the spy. Thus the name, “dead spy.”
-# '''Living Spy.''' These are extremely loyal spies who infiltrate, observe, and report information about the enemy. Leaders must respect and treasure their living spies, because they have an intrinsically dangerous job which few are qualified to perform. Living spies must be smart people (since they need to know what to look for), but they must appear inconspicuous and stupid (so no one suspects them of being a spy). Living spies must be strong-willed (to resist interrogations) and resistant to seduction, since those are the two most common ways to coax people into divulging secrets. Since their job may require taking extreme measures to avoid being captured, living spies must be fast; powerful; brave; and resistant to cold, hunger, and dishonor.
+# '''Living Spy.''' These are extremely loyal spies who infiltrate, observe, and report information about the enemy. Leaders must respect and treasure their living spies, because they have an intrinsically dangerous job that few people are qualified to perform. Living spies must be smart people (since they need to know what to look for), but they must appear inconspicuous and stupid (so no one suspects them of being a spy). Living spies must be strong-willed (to resist interrogations) and resistant to seduction, since those are the two most common ways to coax people into divulging secrets. Since their job may require taking extreme measures to avoid being captured, living spies must be fast; powerful; brave; and resistant to cold, hunger, and dishonor.
 Spies deserve the most special treatment and privileges of all of your subordinates -- because in the end, it is the spies who do the most for your organization. Nothing is more secret than espionage, and spies lead difficult lives -- if they are discovered, it could mean death. Poorly-treated spies could always secretly accept enemy bribes or counter-offers, become reverse spies, and completely undermine you -- so you must give them an incentive not too.

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 # '''Local Spy.''' These are the local people, who can use their social connections and knowledge of the area to provide you with information. The familiar native guides in Westerns, as well as the street-level snitches in detective stories are examples of local spies.
-# '''Inside Spy.''' This is a spy that is also a legitimate member of your enemy’s organization. Inside spies are usually disgruntled employees who betray their employer out of greed or for personal reasons (e.g., retaliation for a perceived wrong, a change of heart, a thirst for power, etc.). Inside spies can directly uncover and relay information about the enemy. Additionally, the resulting “witch hunt” to discover who the spy's identity will destroy the enemy’s morale. By making accusations against one another, they will become distracted from fighting you.
+# '''Inside Spy.''' This is a spy that is also a legitimate member of your enemy’s organization. Inside spies are usually disgruntled employees who betray their employer out of greed or for personal reasons (e.g., retaliation for a perceived wrong, a change of heart, a thirst for power, etc.). Inside spies can directly uncover and relay information about the enemy. Additionally, the resulting “witch hunt” to discover the spy's identity will destroy the enemy’s morale. By making accusations against one another, they will become distracted from fighting you.
 # '''Reverse Spy.''' This “double agent” is a spy who is simultaneously an enemy spy. (Reverse Spies are then a special case of an inside spy.) A captured enemy spy must always be bribed in an attempt to create a reverse spy. If they decline the offer, use them as a dead spy. If the enemy spy accepts, then you can now exploit the special privileges the enemy has granted him. Reverse spies can provide the information needed to recruit and deploy other spies, making them the most important and most prized of all your subordinates. Reverse spies are uniquely able to perform the following tasks:
 #* Since they are members of the enemy’s intelligence network, you now have access to what the enemy knows -- thus enabling you to see the weaknesses in your defenses which the enemy has discerned, but you have yet to perceive.

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 #'''Level Ground.''' Dry, level ground (especially plateaus) are nice because they allow for easy maneuvering. However, your enemy will also share this advantage. A level playing field offers no exploitable terrain features, causing any battle to become a “fair fight.” Don't try to fight fair; use some trick or stratagem to stack the deck in your favor. Think back to the playground scuffles out childhood -- who was it that always cried about how others didn’t “fight fair.” It was always a sore loser, wasn’t it?
-Sun-tzu devoted the rest of the chapter to a potpourri of military tactics, woodsmanship, psychological tells, and managerial advice. Unlike the rest of ''The Art of War'', and there is no deeper context at play here, and these should not be interpreted metaphorically. Each of these tricks is meant to be taken at face value:
+Sun-tzu devoted the rest of the chapter to a potpourri of military tactics, woodsmanship, psychological tells, and managerial advice. Unlike the rest of ''The Art of War,'' there is no deeper context at play here, and these should not be interpreted metaphorically. Each of these tricks is meant to be taken at face value:
 * Certain terrain features act as natural, impassable boundaries (e.g., deep ravines, enclosures, caves, bottlenecks, pits, and clefts). It is imperative to stay from these -- not only to avoid their disadvantages -- but by moving far away from them, your enemy then becomes closer to them, by default. You should maneuver towards, not away from such barriers; the idea is to pin your enemy’s back against the wall, and not yours.

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 #Leaders with a great public love for something (e.g., family members, holy relics, expensive items, etc.) can have that person or item captured or stolen; the resulting rescue mission will distract the leader, leaving them open to attack.
-Although adaptability and variation is the critical element of an invincible strategy, keep the following actions plans in mind, as history has shown them to deliver desirable results:
+Although adaptability and variation is the critical element of an invincible strategy, keep the following actions plans in mind; history has shown that these deliver desirable results:
 * Any use of force must have prior authorization from the legitimate civilian leaders.
 * Do not encamp on difficult terrain.