Sun Tzu, The Art of War; In death ground, fight

I'm half way through my training for the call center job. It's going really well I'm passing all the tests. In some ways, I can't see how we will be reading in another 3 weeks and yet at times, I'm like "I've got this".

The Art of War is a rather pithy and to the point. It was a joy to reread and is the first book that I have reread in order to blog about it.

Synopsis
The Art of War outlines Master Sun's lessons on how to run a military, mainly at the tactical level but parts do suit the strategic level as well.
Master Sun breaks it down into 13 chapters ranging from assessment and planning, to intelligence and espionage. Over all, it consists of short bites of what a good general needs to be thinking about to make war to his own advantage. Master Sun likes to give both the positive and the negative of each idea. The 'what to do' and 'what not to do'. He breaks down things like 'what sort of ground' into types, then expounds exactly on what to do on those terrains. He is not afraid to say, 'do not engage with the enemy' or even, 'retreat'. We see over the course of the work that he is dedicated to making war in the way that is both of your own choosing as well as to your advantage.

Reflections
The Art of war is so short and yet so much goes on inside it. It is also a book that still gets quoted a lot in military circles, as well as high flying business. It is interesting how it transcends cultures and military styles. I think, this is because it focuses on what the General can do in advance, rather than once the army's get to grips with each other. It also contains many pithy quotes like; "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." 

Comparisons
There is not a lot to compare the Art of War to yet, as we do not see preserved European texts about war at this period. We do see stylistic similarities with the Analects and the Tao Te Ching.

Have you read The Art of War? If so what did you think of it?

Want to read The Art of War but haven't? Hopefully this inspires you to take the time to do so.
Get a copy of The Art of War.