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Sun Tzu Vs War

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Sun Tzu: The General Who Stays True to His Word
For a book to survive thousands of years there must be some significance to the text that holds true through the generations and reiterations. The Bible has survived through translations and rewritten copies over thousands of years because it holds a great importance to each generation, enough so that it continues to be a common household book. The Art of War is another, one older than the Bible, which has been passed on and translated through the generations. The Art of War is a philosophical text with applications to war tactics as well as daily life. The book features a way of succeeding with minimal loss and maximum gain. The author was Sun Tzu, a Chinese general and strategist. A controversial …show more content…

It is to win while inflicting minimal harm and using the least amount of resources. A victory over war is such when the opposing side yields itself and its resources to the winning army without battle. This is “victory over war” as Sun Tzu means it, to conquer without battle. To be victorious over war itself, one must understand Sun Tzu’s concept of “taking whole,” and thus use it to subtly break the spirits of their challengers and win a battle without picking up a weapon. “Taking whole” is like seeing all of the parts of a car: the gears, the wheels, each lug nut, and everything not part of the car like the driver and the weather; and seeing the interconnectedness of each part that adds up to a working machine. This is like what The Denma Group wrote in the essay on taking whole: “As we start to sense their configurations, our actions become synchronized with this. Being connected to the details, moving with their shapes and confirmation, we can find victory” (Denma 69). Sun Tzu saw the relationship between the concubines and the group leaders, and them to the Emperor. Just like understanding the interconnectedness of a car engine, he used this relationship to his advantage to gain the concubines’ obedience. He also used the concubines to gain the respect of the Emperor, who had little to lose in the deal made with Sun Tzu so long as none of his concubines got hurt. By convincing the Emperor to stay true to his word, to “go all in” not just half way, Sun Tzu gained the Emperor’s respect and attention. He forced the Emperor to invest in the outcome of his concubines army training. Once heard that beheading his two favorite concubines was a success, he appointed Sun Tzu as the general of his army. Sun Tzu saw how to manipulate the Emperor by taking whole the situation and use it to his advantage. This demonstrates that The Art of War is

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