Laser comments on 👀😐Even Elon doesn't think he's playing 4d chess. Not when Telsla stock is tanking

[–] Laser@feddit.org 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

A little reminder that Sun Tzu “The Art of War” is not some grand masterpiece in strategic thinking. It is a guide aimed at nobelmen that were so far removed from reality, that they needed to be told things like “You can’t just order a win in a real competition” or “If you don’t give your soldiers food, they become weak and die”

That's not really what the book says. It does go into strategy (though today it's rather inspiration than something to be followed to the letter).

Plus, while you make it seem trivial, logistics are really hard and must not be overlooked. It's like saying "Germany lost the Battle of Stalingrad because they didn't know that if you [edit: don't] give your soldiers food, they become weak and die!" like, they probably knew this, but their strategy lead to a situation where this happened.

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[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

That’s not really what the book says.

Yes, it literally is.

Chapter 9.29 and 30
When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food
If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst

logistics are really hard and must not be overlooked

Chapter 2.9
Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs

The entire Art of War can be printed on 4 pages of A4 paper if you remove all the fancy layout that usually goes into the book to pad it to something over 50.

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[–] Laser@feddit.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst

This refers to the enemy army, not their own – at least from my reading, these paragraphs are about observing signs about enemy plans and capabilities.

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs

I mean, OK? My point was that the book is a strategic guide and not just obvious stuff noblemen don't know. But there is also plenty of other stuff in there, and as I said earlier, logistics are probably the most important aspect of modern conflict.

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[–] int_not_found@feddit.org 9 points 1 year ago

I mean, OK? My point was that the book is a strategic guide and not just obvious stuff noblemen don't know. But there is also plenty of other stuff in there, and as I said earlier, logistics are probably the most important aspect of modern conflict.

Looks like I was a little too hyperbolic in my summary. Doesn't help, if two non-native speakers try to communicate in such a way. :D

Yes you are right. There is a good reason, why the booklet is widely known. No, I don't think logistics is easy.

I'm just having a chuckle about the use of "Sun Tzu level" in the post, where it is used as a metaphor for being smarter than everyone else. While the book referenced is a dated beginner-level introduction to the subject of military strategy.

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