That means reading Sunzi’s advice through the prism of classical Chinese metaphysics, which is deeply shaped by the philosophy of Daoism.Ĭhina’s intellectual tradition is rooted in the Warring States period from the 5th to 3rd century B.C.E., the era during which Sunzi is thought to have lived.
To comprehend “Art of War,” it helps readers to approach the text from the worldview of its author. Today, I am an academic researching how Chinese philosophy and foreign policy intersect. Looking for insight, I turned to classical Chinese philosophy and finally encountered concepts that helped illuminate the unique perspective of Sunzi’s “Art of War.” This deepened my desire to understand how leaders in the People’s Republic of China see the world and choose strategies. However, a few years later the Marine Corps trained me as a China scholar, and I spent much of my career working on U.S.
It seemed Sunzi’s advice was either common sense or in agreement with Western military classics. The book’s maxims, such as “know the enemy and know yourself,” are routinely quoted in military texts, as well as business and management books. “Art of War” has long been mined for an understanding of China’s strategic tradition and universal military truths.
I was not the only one looking for insights from the sage Sunzi, also known as Sun Tzu, who died over 2,500 years ago.
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