The Art of War Return to Book Review Page Return
to Home Page
By Sun Tzu
Translated by Samuel B. Griffith
This ancient book really is worth reading. It is short. Much of it relates in no way to modern life, modern warfare or any useful strategy for modern individuals and organizations. But hidden in its generally entertaining and refreshingly few pages are some basic nuggets of wisdom equal to advice found in books 20 times the size of this. Samuel Griffith offers background information about Sun Tzu’s history that makes this book even more informative and entertaining.
War, unfortunately, is one of humanity’s oldest endeavors. It is also one of the oldest to require an organizational hierarchy in order to achieve success. And because the dire consequences of losing in war, there should be no surprise that its techniques have been the subject of analysis and study from the earliest days of civilization. We can hope that armed conflicts will disappear from our world. But for progress to continue, competitiveness and conflict of a non-injurious nature must continue. For these endeavors, some lessons from an ancient Chinese master or warfare can be of huge usefulness.