I’d rather he was a student of Mencius.
This thread prompted me to reread the Art of War since alot of it seems to have fallen out of memory. It’s amazing how many maxims Bush violated in Iraq. This is just from the first three chapters I’ve read so far.
The jist of things that come to mind:
don’t obliterate your target
don’t get in a prolonged war
think before you act
Even if it is well duh stuff to you it isn’t to some people apparently. I don’t know if Obama is using the Art of War but I hope he is. It’d be nice to have a President not making 2,500 year old mistakes.
[snotty, pedantic sniff] Preceded him by a couple of hundred years. [/sps]
It wasn’t obvious. It was written during the “Warring States” period of time. A Civil War that lasted a couple of hundred years. There’s a couple of other military/political works which came out of that time that are lesser known in the West that are equally as good. Nor should The Art of War be considered “Freshman 101” reading, more like the hone one applies to their sword before going into battle. The “Powell Doctrine” of combat is simply Sun Tzu’s philosophy rephrased for modern times.
Generally I should think that caring properly for a sword is part of the 101 course for a career swordsman.
Regardless I’m not going to argue with you like we’re in disagreement. Sun Tzu’s work stands the test of time, and people still need to be taught it. If it were blindingly obvious even to a large minority of people, the world would be an incredibly different place.
Well, last game I played, he turned out to be a Persian, but he fell under the sway of the mighty Russian empire in time, just like all the other Wonders.
Now that’s an interesting question. I suppose you’d say (in English phonetics) “dong ron le,” in a sarcastic tone.
This has been another installment of answers to rhetorical questions.
That’s what I thought when I read Newton’s three laws. Doesn’t make them any less world-changing.
<newton hijack>
Well my personal world view changing moment with Newton was when I realized his Genius wasn’t figuring out something makes things fall down (which any idiot can figure out), it was figuring out that same something kept the moon in orbit.
I go fourth to battle!
It’s voting time!
pfff… Sun tzu. Call me when Obama starts quoting the Wu Tang Shaolin masters.
Protect ya’ Neck indeed. Get that dolla, dolla bill, y’all!
*The art of war is deception. *I’ve seen stratgists employ over three different objectives, some hidden, some open. or… Mission Accomplished. 
It’s not so obvious. Or is it?
Ok, I’ll go fifth.