Has anyone read The Art of War?

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RhombusHatesYou

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Mar 21, 2010
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Between There and There.
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The Wide, Brown One.
FargoDog said:
What else is on this list? It sounds very pretentious and therefore full of things I would love.
The top 5 books are:

The Art of War
Book of Five Rings
On War
The Prince
Beyond Good and Evil

All very predictable and pretentious looking.
 

Lord Beautiful

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Aug 13, 2008
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A good chunk of it, yes. I quickly became bored with it, as what was contained within it wasn't particularly mind-blowing to me. I would, however, like to read Musashi's book.
 

Sn0W

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I've read it and loved it. There are a lot of things in there that make you think. It could be argued that most of it seems like common sense but common sense is something a lot of people are lacking these days. It's a good read and something you can learn a lot from
 

Adecristo

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May 20, 2010
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Read it, and I think it's pretty awesome, in terms of being a pretty good advice and lesson. Yes, it's definietely a great thing, though it's not my absolute favorite (Lord of the Rings book is just so much better than the movie.)
But it's on my list of top 10 books, anyway.
 

Steve Butts

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It's a fine book and, as others have pointed out, might seem like just common sense. The trick is that Sun Tzu managed to quantify things so simply and succinctly.

The team developing Shogun 2 Total War is actually coding The Art of War into the AI. If you read The Art of War, it really does seem like it was written by a programmer. It's full of lots of practical "If this..., then..." advice.

Since we're talking about classics, my all time favorite is Strategy by Sir Basil Liddell-Hart. Whatever you think about the controversies surrounding him, his explanation of the strategies of indirect approach and interior lines was very enlightening and made me a better gamer.
 

Quaxar

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The Art of War not yet, but it's on my list. First I have some Pratchetts and Lovecrafts to finish.
But I read Machiavelli's The Prince, it's also really good though more about leading a country than war tactics.
Oh yes, and I am half through Plato's Politeia. I just read it over a longer period due to its complexity.

RhombusHatesYou said:
FargoDog said:
What else is on this list? It sounds very pretentious and therefore full of things I would love.
The top 5 books are:

The Art of War
Book of Five Rings
On War
The Prince
Beyond Good and Evil

All very predictable and pretentious looking.
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/funny-pictures-my-interest-cat.jpg
 

Steve Butts

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Jun 1, 2010
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If you like Machiavelli, you should read his Discourses on Livy. What The Prince does for absolute rulers, the Discourses does for Republics. If you've ever wondered how nations make war, or how revolutions really happen, the Discourses have the answers.
 

Atmos Duality

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Mar 3, 2010
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It's quite possibly the most pragmatic text I've ever read.
Good stuff.

EDIT: I don't take much literal interpretation from Machiavelli's The Prince seeing how he wrote that out of spite while he was in exile. Reason being: I think he was being spiteful and sarcastic while passing it off as genuine literature. The greatest troll in history.
 

Folio

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Jun 11, 2010
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I have the book, but I never read it because it's quite big. Warfare is a bit different compared to self-defence.

Perhaps I will pick it up some time. Just to improve my RTS skills online.

Oh, Book of Five Rings! Now I read that fully! It's hard to understand Musashi's techniques when they are in written word.

I liked his metaphore of crafts and jobs to compare martial arts to.

"If fighting is sure to give you victory, then you must fight! Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a little more about fighting than you do, pal! Because he invented it! And then he perfected it so that no living man can best him in the field of honor!"

-The Soldier, Team Fortress 2-
 

Shemming

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Jun 12, 2010
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Ive read many exracts, but never found a complete copy. Most of the bits ive read have seemed to have meaning and come up alot in life.

And after reading all this thread im off to order my copy!
 

GonzoGamer

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Apr 9, 2008
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Yea. I dig that book. Have you started playing Go yet?
I you like AOW, also give The Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee a shot. You might also dig Prometheus Rising by RA Wilson.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Judgement101 said:
I just finished The Art of War by Sun Tzu and it was really good. It changed my perspective on a lot of things. After reading I wondered "Did anyone on The Escapist read it?" Basically, Did you read it and if so What did you think of it?
I'd also recommend Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Less about War, but a great book for Leaders and Philosopher-Kings. Machiavelli would have devoured it.

And for a "modern day" Machiavelli, Lord Vetenari from Discworld embodies him.
 

Zirat

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May 16, 2009
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I have, it was a interesting read but mostly common sense.

But I prefer the Thirty-Six Stratagems if we're talking strategy, even though no one can really place the author I found this text much more enlightening the The Art of War