MEDITATIONS: SUN TZU’S THE ART OF WAR, CHAPTER ONE

Laying Plans

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. (Sun Tzu 15)

We moderns, pathologically removed from the state of nature, are quick to forget the functions of our social institutions. We take our wealthy and secure twenty-first century status for granted. We assume what we have to be the baseline, as if the achievements, conquests, and productivity of the past will continue on without our contribution and maintenance—as if our institutions are gods and not the finite inventions of mortal men.

However, if we step outside out hyper-egocentric frames of reference, literally step outside and wander into the wilds of the hills, plains, forests, or deserts, we will just as quickly be reminded that the most fundamental state of the natural world is that of warfare. All of being exists in conflict, in a dialectic whose only escape is annihilation and death. Denying this fact leads to the neglect of matters of grave importance. All evil is born from and borne on the back of weakness.

If, on the other hand, we accept we human beings are in an intractable struggle between us and the seasons, the elements, predators, starvation, disease, and especially one another, then we can understand why it is that matters of the state are always matters of warfare.

If all men could be at peace with one another, then the necessary evil of the state would not come to be. But people are human being; and humans, like all the other animals, have conflicting desires and needs. Reason and objectivity—the logos—will only restrain the best of mankind. The rest, those who would be losers otherwise, will take the paths of pathos and ethos: they will utilize violence, deception, and appeals to authorities in order to force their wills into being.

Thus the function of the state rises up from the conflict among men. It settles matters when peoples enter into conflicts—into states of war, as Locke would call them. Government establishes the necessary order so that good can be discerned from and established over evil. Without such order, the two become chaotically and conceptually intermixed; and like a toxin, not much evil is needed to turn the whole of a society septic.

So the state serves a function, and that function rests most foundationally on the art of war—but what is that art? Sun Tsu describes it thusly:

The Art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors...

These are: The Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, Method and Discipline.

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler ...

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness.

Method and Discipline are marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the gradations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and control of military expenditure. (15)

Beginning at the end, if we examine Sun Tzu’s wisdom both from the direct battlefield perspective and that of the administration of a state, the inseparability of their functions is unmistakable.

Proper hierarchal ranking in society is vital to prevent constant power struggles. “Proper” indicates that those who have authority, respect, reputation, and power over others have earned it. They are the competent who can successfully mediate conflicts to sustain the city, state, nation, and culture. Proper authority begets proper delegation of responsibilities, and when such responsibilities are fulfilled, necessary infrastructure for the functioning of the society is maintained—such as roads and bridges. Likewise, funds are not wasted. Efficiency is necessary for anything to be sustainable, whether that be an army or a state.

And what are the qualities of these ostensibly qualified people? They ought to be the wise, the sincere, fair, brave, and consistent. In short, they are those who both act in good faith and still come out victorious despite having to compete against snakes and charlatans.

Matters of heaven and earth must also be considered, but more important is that such matters can be discerned. Matters of earth are matters under human choice or influence; whereas matters of heaven are things which must be accepted and accounted on as immutable and consistent. The inability to tell the difference between these two always leads to discord with reality, hubris, then failure.

Lastly, there the Moral Law—or the morale law, we could call it. It is a matter of tremendous importance that both citizens and soldiers believe in themselves and the state of which they are a part. While perfect unity is impossible, simple pride in the upkeep of one’s inherited values does much to bond a diverse array of peoples together. The values of a people are symbolized in its head of state, and when that figurehead is a proper example of said values, his actions are not dictates so much as they are descriptions of the values already held by those under him. With such a ruler, the law hardly needs to be enforced. One hardly notices the presence of the government because it is functioning to maintain the natural order—in order to minimize necessary and unnecessary evils—or enemies in the case of an opposing army.

And here Sun Tzu draws the friend-enemy distinction:

All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive.

When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when we are far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him....

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. (16)

Recall that the need for the state arises out of the presence of actors of bad faith. If everyone in all societies held themselves voluntarily to the logos, to logic, reason, negotiation, objectivity, and morality, then there would be no cause for the state whose primary function is war. But this is not the case. There are many and more bad faith actors in the world. Because of this, forthright confrontation is immediately off the table when dealing with one with whom we are at war.

The fact of the state of war indicates that reason is not possible. Its presence is the act of brutish violence or serpentine subterfuge. Any attempt at honest mediation with such a person or enemy state will only result in the snake taking the advantage.

Therefore, there is no dishonor in acting in accord with the situation. If one nation finds itself at war with an enemy, or if an individual finds himself at war with a sociopath on the street, he has already entered the grounds of cunning and force. There is no honor to be gained by imposing on oneself disadvantages. In this case, if one person or one state believes itself to be moral, than it should use all the tools at its disposal to seek victory and maintain or restore proper order.

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat. (16)

Sun Tzu. The Art of War, translated by William Ridgeway, Sweetwater Press, 2008.