The Art of War

Description

Compiled more than 2000 years ago by a warrior-philosopher, this text still aims to be relevant in modern times as a book of strategy. A study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict, it applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle and unassailable strength through understanding of the physics, politics and psychology of conflict. This translation presents the classic from the point of view of its background in the spiritual tradition of Taoism, the origin of psychology, science and technology in East Asia, and the source of the insights into human nature that underlie this handbook. Translated from a standard collection of commentaries on Sun Tzu's text by 11 interpreters, the work has been edited to bring out the meaning of the principles of strategy. In addition, the translator provides an introduction discussing the content and background of the book.

The warrior-philosopher and master strategist Sun Tzu, about whom little is known, compiled The Art of War more than two thousand years ago. Legend has it that he was known for the brilliant campaigns he led around the time of Confucius. His work was memorized and passed down orally, before eventually being copied onto bamboo strips and passed around.

"Thomas Cleary's translation of Sun Tzu's 2,000-year-old The Art of War makes immediately relevant one of the greatest Chinese classical texts. There's not a dated maxim or vague prescription in it. 'To win without fighting is best,' Sun Tzu said. For him, war was coeval with life. Absorb this book, and you can throw out all those contemporary books about management leadership."- Newsweek