1. Sun Tzu Statue in Shandong Province
Dr. Morse
Fall 2015

2. Today’s Goals Practice Toward Final Exam
Lecture Review of The Art of War
Orientation in Eastern Philosophy
Confucianism - Cultivation of Knowledge
Buddhism – Cultivation of Soul – Spirituality
Taoism – Practice that Draws from Both
Large Group Discussion of the First Three Chapters
Small Group Discussion and Presentation of the Remaining Chapters

3. Lecture Review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFb7Hxva5rg
What are the basic principles of Taoism (Daoism)?
How does this way of thinking contribute to the text?
Who was Sun Tzu? What do we know about the socio-political atmosphere and culture of his time?
What do the 5 factors refer to?
What kinds of questions do the field of ethics consider?
How are ethics different from or related to morals?

4. Classical Chinese philosophy
The Eastern Zhou dynasty ( BCE), which includes the Warring States Period (c BCE)
Kongzi (Confucius)
Mengzi (Mencius)
The Daodejing (Tao te ching)
Zhuangzi (Chuang tzu)
Xunzi (Shun tzu)
Han Feizi (Han Fei tzu)

5. Classical Chinese philosophy
Chaotic times
Seeking the dao (道) or “Way”
Path or road
A way to do something
The linguistic account of a way to do something
Right way to live one’s life and to organize society
Ultimate metaphysical reality governing or ordering the world

6. Purpose of the Daodejing?
“The term “sage” (sheng ren) occurs more than twenty times in the [Daodejing] and, with only a few exceptions, refers always to a ruler who understands the dao. Besides “the sage,” there are other terms as well that refer to rulers, like “the lord of men” and “lords and princes”. This shows that the [Daodejing] is, through and through, a work on the art of government” (Lau 1963: xxviii-xxix) “The greatest of rulers is but a shadowy presence…”

7. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
At the beginning of Chapter 1 Sun Tzu said:
“Warfare is the greatest affair of the state, the basis of life and death, the Way (Tao) to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed” (167).
“The Tao causes the people to be fully in accord with the ruler. [Thus] they will die with him; they will live with him and not fear danger” (167).

8. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
In the middle of Chapter One Sun Tzu said:
“If a general follows my [methods for] estimation and you employ him, he will certainly be victorious and should be retained. If a general does not follow my [methods for] estimation and you employ him, he will certainly be defeated, so dismiss him” (168).
“Warfare is the Way (Tao) of deception. Thus although [you are] capable, display incapability to them. When committed to employing your forces, feign inactivity. When [your objective] is nearby, make it appear as distant; when far away, create the illusion of being nearby” (168).

9. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
A key principle in Chapter 2 can be summed up by this conclusion:
“Thus in military campaigns I have heard of awkward speed but have never seen any skill in lengthy campaigns. No country has ever profited from protracted warfare. Those who do not thoroughly comprehend the dangers inherent in employing the army are incapable of truly knowing the potential advantage of military actions” (173).

10. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
At the beginning of Chapter 3, Sun Tzu offers this key principle…
“For this reason attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy’s army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence” (177).

11. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
In the middle of Chapter 3 Sun Tzu offers this key principle…
“In general, the strategy for employing the military is this: If your strength is ten times theirs, surround them; if five, then attack them; if double, then divide your forces. If you are equal in strength to the enemy, you can engage him. If fewer, you can circumvent him. If outmatched, you can avoid him. Thus a samll enemy that acts inflexibly will become captives of the enemy” (178).

12. Key Principle and Lesson in Sun Tzu
At the end of chapter 3, Sun Tzu offers an important conclusion…
“Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements. One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes be victorious, sometimes meet with defeat. One who knows neither the enemy nor himself will invariably be defeated in every engagement” (179).

13. Group Exercise 50 pts LP
In lecture, Professor VdA argues that because this text is presented in 13 fragmented chapters, we must interact with the text to make sense of it.
Part One: In your groups make sense of and present the central principles underlying your assigned chapters. Explain what strategic or tactical lessons are given in the chapter. Include specific examples from the chapters. You can make connections to other moments in the text or to the Machiavelli text or to something contemporary.
Part Two: Present to the class – everyone in the group must contribute to the presentation. (50 LP)
Group 1: Ch 4 (Military Disposition) Ch 5 (Strategic Military Power)
Group 2: Ch 6 (Vacuity and Substance) Ch 7 (Military Combat)
Group 3: Ch 8 (Nine Changes) Ch 9 (Maneuvering the Army)
Group 4: Ch 10 (Configurations of Terrain) Ch 11 (Nine Terrains)
Group 5: Ch 12 (Incendiary Attacks) Ch 13 (Employing Spies)