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Introduction The study of the nature of mankind undertaken by the
early Greeks involved an attempt to conceptualise the intricacies of the human
equation. Philosophers such as
Plato and Aristotle developed the idea that each living organism possessed both
form and essence and these two elements determined the outcome.
Their interpretations of their observations of nature were consolidated
into a hypothesis that suggested every plant and animal was created with its
individual characteristics intact. The
form and essence of the tree was already present in the smallest seed, the
eventual adult animal would be derived from the particular new born of that
species and not from the newborn of another species.
More than two thousand years later modern science has confirmed the
existence of DNA and the role of genetic coding in determining the physiological
characteristics of each and every human being. As a species, humans like to believe they have
progressed with great strides since the exploratory philosophies of our Greek
ancestors, yet in truth we have not come that far. The complexities of the human equation still challenge our
understanding and at least in part remain in the realm of the metaphysical.
Despite all of the species’ advances our existence continues to be
dictated by a fluctuating balance between the pre-determined and the
artificially constructed. Human society is the most evident demonstration of the
artificial construct. Through laws
and regulations, politics and religion, morals, values and ethics we dictate
what the nature of our existence will be. We
create educational institutions to inculcate and indoctrinate the next
generation thereby preserving the status quo or conversely, greatly influencing
future directions. Now, at the beginning of the third Christian
millennium, western societies have reached a watershed in the history of the
human experience. For the first
time the species not only possesses the means but also the desire to confront a
long established balance. The
application of technology and its subsequent intrusion into the very form and
essence of our society has resulted in a re-evaluation of the roles allocated to
the genders of the human species. Change
is occurring at a more profound rate than ever previously experienced and the
relationship between the genders is being modified, tested and reconstructed. Why then should the members of a contemporary western
society revisit the writings of a Chinese military leader produced two thousand
five hundred years ago? What wisdom
can be found in this ancient text when so much change has occurred? “…the
lapse of ages changes all things - time, language, the earth, the bounds of the
sea, the stars of the sky, and every thing ‘about, around, and underneath’
man, except man himself.” Lord
Byron (1788-1824) English Poet Origins of War "All warfare is based on
deception. Therefore, when capable
of attacking, feign incapacity; when active in moving troops, feign inactivity.
When near the enemy, make it seem that you are far away; when far away,
make it seem that you are near. Hold
out baits to lure the enemy. Strike
the enemy when he is in disorder. Prepare
against the enemy when he is secure at all points. Avoid the enemy for the time
being when he is stronger. If your
opponent is of choleric temper, try to irritate him. If he is arrogant, try to encourage his egotism.
If the enemy troops are well prepared after reorganisation, try to wear
them down. If they are united, try
to sow dissension among them. Attack the enemy where he is
unprepared, and appear where you are not expected. These are the keys to victory for a strategist.” Sun Tzu Preface
(part preview) ‘Ping fa’ (The Art of War), a treatise on the nature of conflict, was written
almost two thousand five hundred years ago.
From a historical perspective, it was about this time in a small
principality in northern India, that Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha, was
expounding his philosophy on the means of achieving enlightenment.
To the west the Greek city-states had reached the height of their glory
and were now under attack from the Persians.
The world was witnessing the birth of the Roman Republic, yet it was
still another five hundred years until the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth and
one thousand years before the Anglo-Saxons would drive the Celts from the plains
on England. In China however, war had become a serious concern.
What was previously the domain of the aristocracy had now developed into
a life and death struggle, with the destruction of the kingdom in the balance.
This environment of ongoing conflict gave rise to the establishment of
the professional military class. The
most notable of these warriors was a general by the name of Sun Tzu. Little is known about Sun Tzu's early life. In the period prior to his birth, the land that would become
the Middle Kingdom, was divided into more than one hundred warring states.
After some two centuries of conflict involving up to five hundred
battles, the number of states had been reduced to just five, the others having
been conquered and absorbed into the survivors.
Understandably, conflicts during this period where not limited to just
the military arena but also included economic, political and class struggles,
such was the upheaval being experienced by all concerned.
Sun Tzu, known simply as Wu by friends and family, sought to learn from
the experiences of the ongoing conflicts. He
attempted to derive an understanding of the nature of conflict, not just in the
military sense but in all the domains of human struggle. The Art of War was written by Sun Tzu, in part as a declaration of his prowess as a
military strategist, but also as a way of educating others to the true nature of
conflict. The treatise is an
expression of Sun Tzu's firm belief in the interwoven relationship between
politics, economics, diplomacy and military force. In this philosophy, war is neither confined to nor solely won
on the battlefield. Military
operations should be recognised for what they are, namely an extension of
politics, economics and diplomacy. Force
on the battlefield is but one part of waging war and it can be the most costly
and is therefore very dangerous. The
use of force should never be the first choice. According to Sun Tzu, the objective in any conflict should be the
manipulation of the enemy, to unbalance him, to bend him to your will.
This is best achieved by destroying the opponent's harmony, by making him
vulnerable and unable to make rational decisions.
The manifest outcome of a successful strategy is the psychological
disintegration of the enemy, to apply such pressure as to eliminate the will to
resist. By shifting the enemy from a state of harmony to a state of psychological
disorientation it is possible to induce panic, to tear away the opponent's order
and control and ultimately bring about chaos in the enemy's camp.
Victory is achievable when the enemy has been dominated psychologically.
The total destruction of the opponent through the use of force is rarely
necessary and will often prove too costly.
It is far better to use cunning and guile, to deceive the enemy rather
than engage in open conflict.
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