The Art of War explained by a Psychologist
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful video, the speaker explores the timeless wisdom of 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist from the 5th century BC. The speaker recounts their introduction to the book through a professional boxer and delves into its profound psychological and philosophical aspects. They compare Sun Tzu's strategies with those of Western military thinkers like Machiavelli and Carl von Clausewitz, highlighting the unique Chinese approach to conflict resolution that emphasizes deception and outsmarting the opponent rather than direct confrontation. The video offers a nuanced perspective on war, strategy, and leadership, suggesting that 'The Art of War' is not just for military use but also applicable in business and personal life, providing valuable lessons on avoiding and managing conflicts.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker discovered 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu through an interview with a professional boxer and has been fascinated by its principles ever since.
- 🎯 Sun Tzu's work emphasizes the psychological and philosophical aspects of war, focusing on understanding the opponent and oneself, and estimating circumstances accurately.
- 🏋️♂️ The Art of War's principles can be applied beyond martial arts and warfare, proving useful in business, sports, leadership, and personal life.
- 🌏 The book has been influential across centuries to military strategists, business leaders, world leaders, and athletes.
- 📚 The speaker contrasts 'The Art of War' with Western military theory, highlighting the differences in approach to warfare and strategy between Eastern and Western thought.
- 🤝 Sun Tzu and Carl von Clausewitz, both military strategists, approach war from different perspectives despite sharing the view that war is a serious matter.
- 🤔 Sun Tzu advocates for overcoming opponents without fighting, preferring to attack the enemy's strategy through stratagems and deception.
- 🎯 Clausewitz, on the other hand, views stratagems as inferior and only to be used as a last resort in desperate situations.
- 📖 The speaker suggests reading 'The Art of War' multiple times to reflect on its insights and apply them to current challenges.
- 📘 'On War' by Clausewitz is described as a theoretical and classical work, difficult to read but fundamental for those interested in military theory.
- 🛠️ The Art of War is recommended as a practical guide for dealing with conflict, advising to read it for insights on overcoming adversaries without direct confrontation.
Q & A
What book initially sparked the speaker's interest in the study of war?
-The speaker's interest in the study of war was initially sparked by 'The Art of War,' a book mentioned in an interview with a professional boxer.
Who is believed to have written 'The Art of War'?
-'The Art of War' is believed to have been written by a Chinese gentleman named Sun Tzu, who lived in the 5th century BC.
What does the speaker find fascinating about Sun Tzu's work?
-The speaker finds the psychological and philosophical aspects of Sun Tzu's work fascinating, particularly the principles of reading the opponent, knowing oneself, and estimating circumstances.
What is one of the essential parts of Sun Tzu's thinking in 'The Art of War'?
-One of the essential parts of Sun Tzu's thinking is to overcome others' armies without fighting, which he considers the best of skills.
How has 'The Art of War' been influential throughout the centuries?
-Throughout the centuries, 'The Art of War' has been influential to military strategists, business leaders, world leaders, and athletes, offering unique perspectives on war, strategy, and leadership.
What is the main difference between Sun Tzu's and Carl von Clausewitz's approach to war?
-Sun Tzu emphasizes preventing the enemy's strategy through deception and stratagems, while Clausewitz focuses on the use of physical force and confrontational moments as essential to war.
What is an example of a stratagem as described in the script?
-An example of a stratagem is Mr. Kong sending a student to warn the king of City C about an impending attack from City B, advising the king to attack City B first, thus preventing the attack on his own village without a direct fight.
How does the speaker view the relationship between war and peace?
-The speaker views war and peace as two sides of the same coin, suggesting that peace and stability require hard work and that war can often be avoided with the right knowledge and skills.
What advice does the speaker give for reading 'The Art of War'?
-The speaker advises to read 'The Art of War' several times, underlining sentences that trigger thoughts or provide new insights, and to reflect on how these insights can be applied to current situations.
What is the speaker's recommendation for choosing a translation of 'The Art of War'?
-The speaker recommends choosing a translation that does not provide a literal translation from Chinese, as it can be abstract and difficult to study from, and one that includes an introduction on the time and context in which the book was written.
Outlines
💭 Understanding the Philosophy of War
The speaker discusses their fascination with the philosophy of war, particularly through the book 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist from the fifth century BC. The book, with its focus on psychological and strategic aspects of war, emphasizes overcoming opponents without fighting. It has influenced various fields, including military strategy, business, and sports. The speaker contrasts this with Machiavelli's 'The Art of War' and Carl von Clausewitz's 'On War,' noting the different approaches and influences of these works.
⚔️ Strategic Differences: East vs. West
The speaker highlights the contrasting views on war strategy between Sun Tzu and Carl von Clausewitz. While Clausewitz sees war as a large-scale duel where physical force is essential, Sun Tzu advocates for attacking the enemy's strategy rather than direct confrontation. This approach involves using deception and stratagems, as illustrated through a historical example involving a wise man named Mr. Kong, who manipulates a situation to protect his village without fighting.
🔍 The Importance of Strategic Wisdom
As a health psychologist, the speaker emphasizes the relevance of war strategies in everyday conflict resolution. They argue that learning to manage conflicts and avoid direct confrontations can prevent violence and improve outcomes in personal and professional situations. They contrast the practical advice in Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' with the more theoretical and dense 'On War' by Clausewitz, noting that both books offer valuable insights despite their differences in style and approach.
📚 Practical Advice from Ancient Wisdom
The speaker advises on how to approach reading 'The Art of War' for practical insights. They suggest repeatedly reading and reflecting on the book, underlining thought-provoking sentences, and considering how the advice can be applied to current conflicts. They recommend choosing a translation with contextual introductions to better understand the text. The speaker concludes by inviting viewers to subscribe to their channel for more episodes on related topics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Art of War
💡Sun Tzu
💡Strategy
💡Psychological Warfare
💡Deception
💡Clausewitz
💡Stratagems
💡Leadership
💡Peace
💡Conflict Resolution
Highlights
The speaker discovered 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu through an interview with a professional boxer, which influenced his approach to martial arts.
Sun Tzu's work emphasizes the psychological and philosophical aspects of war, beyond the physical conflict.
The Art of War promotes overcoming opponents without direct fighting, highlighting the importance of strategy and leadership.
The book has influenced various fields including military strategy, business, and sports, offering universal principles for dealing with adversaries.
The speaker contrasts Sun Tzu's work with Western military theory, highlighting the differences in approach to warfare.
Machiavelli's 'The Art of War' is mentioned as a less universal and more historically specific work compared to Sun Tzu's.
Carl von Clausewitz's 'On War' is presented as a Western counterpart to Sun Tzu, with significant influence on military theory.
Both Sun Tzu and Clausewitz agree that war is a serious matter with grave consequences, not to be glorified.
Sun Tzu's strategy focuses on preventing the enemy's strategy through deception, a key aspect of Chinese strategic thinking.
An example of using deception in warfare is given, illustrating how Mr. Kong protected his village without fighting.
Clausewitz views stratagems as inferior and a last resort, differing from Sun Tzu who centralizes them in his philosophy.
The speaker advocates for studying 'The Art of War' to enhance conflict resolution skills in various aspects of life.
The Art of War is recommended for multiple readings to reflect on and apply its insights to current situations.
Von Clausewitz's 'On War' is described as a dense and challenging read, with valuable but complex insights.
The speaker suggests choosing a translation of 'The Art of War' that provides context to enhance understanding.
The Art of War is categorized as a 'hammer book' for its practical advice on conflict and strategy.
Transcripts
I hate war but I am a student of war let
me explain
[Music]
[Music]
about 25 years ago I read in a newspaper
an interview with a professional boxer
unfortunately I forgotten the name of
that athlete but what he said about the
act of fighting made very much sense to
me when he was asked how he prepared for
a fight he quoted from an old Chinese
book and that is the first time I heard
about this book which is called the art
of war most probably written by a
Chinese gentleman called Sun Tzu who
lived in the fifth century BC ever since
I have been fascinated by his work I
studied it and I tried to apply some of
its principles when I was still fighting
martial art competitions which is a very
long long time ago but as soon as you
read his book you realize that next to
the physical component of war and very
far away from the horrible part where
bodies clash on the battlefield and
people get killed there is a
psychological and a philosophical part
to it this part is all about reading
your opponent knowing yourself and
estimating correctly the circumstances
one of the essential parts of the
thinking of sensu is to overcome others
armies without fighting and that is
according to him the best of skills this
little booklet with only 13 chapters
provides a unique perspective on war on
strategy and on leadership throughout
the centuries this book has been very
influential to a wide variety of people
like military strategists but also
business leaders world leaders and
athletes and I find this book to be
useful for almost every human being when
we are faced with an adversary or an
opponent this can be in business in
sports as leaders of our communities or
as private persons the art of war is not
the only one of its kind there are
actually many Chinese books on warfare
and on strategy that date back to the
beginning of the Western timeline and
I'm
sure I'm gonna make another episode on
one of those books too after I read the
art of war several times I was so
impressed by the insides that it
provided that has started to search for
an equivalent order on war in the
Western world and there are several
Machiavelli for example wrote a book
with the same title the art of war by
Machiavelli but that is a rather
technical book that is very much related
to the circumstances of war in his
hometown and in the time that he lived
so what he writes is not so universal so
maybe this book is more a historical
document on warfare and there are of
course others but what a book that could
be seen as an equivalent to the great
work of sin soon in the Western world is
the book on war written by Carl von
Clausewitz and it was published by his
widow in 1832 both authors are military
strategists and between the writing of
these two books is about two thousand
years and they both have been very
influential in the military theory in
the east and in the West and they
continue to be influential even today
what I found fascinating is that there
are major differences in the way of
thinking about war and winning between
the west and the east it's a difference
that I experienced myself many times
when I was advising Western and Chinese
companies to do business with each other
what is interesting is that both authors
start from almost the same starting
point for example sunsoo opens with the
sentences war is of vital importance to
the state it is a matter of life and
death and that's why it has to be
studied thoroughly for clouds of its
States war is a serious means war is no
pastime it is no more joy in daring and
winning no place for irresponsible
enthusiasts it is a serious means to a
serious end from this and many other
parts in these books we learn that both
authors do not idolize or glorify war
thank God they don't but rather they see
as a serious matter with serious
consequences they see it as something
that is part of every state and every
country and they see it as a part of
life in general and therefore they both
want to provide the theory on how to
deal with this seemingly unavoidable
condition although they agree on several
points their theories do diverse
significantly for example from clouds of
its compares war as a duel he states
that war is nothing but a jewel on a
large scale and then he continues each
try through physical force to compel the
other to do his will
these confrontational moments and the
use of physical force are essential to
war according to food Clausewitz the
starting point of since earth is
different he states that the best policy
in war is to prevent the enemy's
strategy so instead of attacking the
enemy which is sometimes unavoidable he
prefers to attack the strategy of the
enemy instead and this is essential to
the art of Chinese strategy which is not
only applied in military settings but
also in business now how does it work
how do you attack the strategy of your
opponent well this is done by the use of
stratagems stratagems are actions that
are based on deception you can see your
true intention and instead you attack
the intention of your opponent this
might sound a bit confusing so let me
repeat number one you do not attack your
opponent number two instead you attack
the intention of your opponent through
the years and spending a lot of time as
Chinese people I learned that this is
the very essence of the art of war now
let's make this very concrete with an
example
[Music]
imagine there is a man in the fifth
century BC let's call this man mr. Corin
let's say he had a great reputation and
he is widely respected this man lives in
a village let's call this village a and
he learns that this village will be
attacked by a king from another city and
let's call the city VIII now mr. Khan
wants to prevent this from happening he
however also understands that his
village can not defend themselves
against such a strong opponent
therefore mr. Cohen who is very aware of
his reputation sends one of his students
to the king of another city let's call
the city see his student tells the king
of C that his master wants to warn him
because his master heard that the city B
is preparing to attack city see the king
of C is of course very grateful for this
information from a very trustworthy
source and he asked the student of mr.
Khan what his master would advise in
such a situation the student then said
my master advises you to attack the city
B first because they will not see that
coming so what happens next
the king of C attacks the city of the
king of B takes him by surprise and wins
the battle what is now the new situation
the city a of mr. Kong is safe from harm
the king of C is victorious and even
more powerful than before and mr. Kong
has a great new and very powerful ally
the king of C who is very grateful for
his help and his advice so Kong's
village is even more safe than before
mr. Cohen won without a fight
this is an example of the use of
deception in warfare there are so many
books written about such cases and of
course there is a moral dimension to it
as well but maybe that's something for
another episode what is now relevant for
the two books
disgust is that there is a very big
difference in the way of thinking of
western people and of Chinese people
when it comes to winning to strategy and
leadership in the book on war by
Clausewitz he also talks about
stratagems but is absolutely not in
favor of it in book 3 chapter 10 he
describes stratagems as almost something
inferior and that should only be used as
a last resource if one is confronted
with a desperate situation so that is a
very big difference from the thinking of
since ooh who puts the stratagems almost
at the center of his thinking i started
this episode we're saying that I'm a
student of war but that doesn't mean
that I like war actually the opposite is
true I like to think however that war
and peace are like two sides of the same
coin peace and stability does not come
by itself it is hard work and war I
think it can often be avoided if we know
how to do this so learning to maintain
peace and stability and to avoid or to
deal with war is I think therefore
worthwhile to study as a psychologist I
often see people that have a rather
limited skillset to deal with conflict
and often they go for the direct
confrontation and this brings often
verbal and even physical violence with
it so the art of war is a book to learn
how to fight because we have a dispute
with our neighbor or one of our kids is
bullied at school or we are facing as a
business leader a very aggressive
competitor then knowing how to overcome
these opponents without a fight as Sun
Tzu advises might be a good alternative
to the direct confrontation that is
maybe used too often
to conclude if we take the functional
book graph then the book of von
Clausewitz
on war put I would put it in the
category gems of insights because it
gives us very specific information on
warfare and on battle and it is a rather
theoretical book so not very practical
it is also a classical work and too many
it is the fundamental book on the theory
of warfare as a business leader I have
learned some valuable insights from this
book for example how to deal with
friction when you try to execute a
strategy however I found this book very
difficult to read it was originally
written in German and from Clausewitz
worked many years on it he started to
work on this book in 1816 and he worked
on it on and off always interrupted by
military campaigns and unfortunately he
could never finish the work the book
contains many very long sentences and
also has quite some contradictions in it
it is obvious that he did not have the
time to do a final and full revision of
his manuscript a year after his death in
1832 his wife Mary phone blew published
the book it is thanks to her that his
great work wasn't lost to mankind and
again it is 700 pages and it's
worthwhile to read if you're very
interested in the topic but it's very
hard to get through it
in contrast the art of war I would put
it in the category of hammer books
because it's very specific in the
provided information on war and on
dealing with conflicts but it also gives
very practical advice and advice that is
digestible now don't expect to get a one
two three steps guide on how to deal
with conflict remember this book is
written in a fifth century BC instead I
always advise to read this book maybe
several times and always underline the
sentences that triggers your mind and
makes you think maybe your underline a
sentence because you really don't like
what he's saying remember it's all about
war and winning or you underline
something because you have a new insight
that that shows you why you can't win
from your current opponent or maybe
underline a sentence because you start
to think how you should maybe do things
differently then use these underlined
sentences to reflect on your current
situation and think of how you could
apply the new insights from this book
the book is only about 60 pages and as
only 13 chapters but it is a kind of
information that only becomes tangible
and applicable when we really take the
time to reflect on what we have read and
finally when it comes to the art of war
there are many translations out there
and it's hard to say which one is the
best because they all have their
advantages if you want to pick a
translation then you could do two things
first maybe for your first book on the
art of war do not pick a literal
translation from the Chinese language
because then the text looks more like an
abstract poem and it's really hard to
study from that and second take a
translation that comes with an
introduction on the time and the context
in which this book was written that will
help a lot in understanding the text you
can find the references of the books
that I have in the notes I hope you
enjoyed this episode of both books and
bones and as always your remarks and
thoughts and ideas are very welcome
please subscribe to my vlog or my
youtube channel if you like to stay up
to date on the next
episodes of Baal books and Dawn's thank
you
[Music]
[Music]
you
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