¶ … military philosophies of von Clausewitz, Vegetius, and Machiavelli reveal common threads of pragmatism and political realism. Vegetius focuses less on philosophy and theory, and more on the practical details and logistics of military campaigns. Yet in so doing, Vegetius does evolve a foundational political strategy that remains relevant almost two thousand years later, even as technology and the dictums of foreign affairs have changed. Likewise, the tenets embodied by Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli are still studied in the 21st century, long after they were written. Machiavelli is not as focused on the minutia of military formations on the battlefield as his predecessor Vegetius, but he is far more focused on the ways political leaders need to comport themselves in times of war and peace. Machiavelli is likewise concerned with the ramifications of political power and how leaders can retain and wield their power to achieve self-serving ends. Just as Vegetius and Machiavelli presume self-interest as a primary objective in politics and military decision-making, Carl von Clausewitz avoids undue idealism. Vegetius, Machiavelli, and Von Clausewitz treat war plainly and honestly in their writings. All believe in war's inevitability, on the necessity of foresight and planning, and of the importance of strong and decisive, if not outright authoritarian, leadership. Vegetius, Machiavelli, and von Clausewitz do not shy away from the realities of war, but it is von Clausewitz...
Von Clausewitz defines war as "an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will," (14) and also as an "act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds," (15). The violent nature of war is a subject treated frankly and honestly by military philosophers. Furthermore, the philosophies of Vegetius, Machiavelli, and von Clausewitz are all grounded in a similar view of human nature. Each of these theorists presumes an innate tendency toward conflict and a predilection for resorting to violence as a means of resolving conflict. In fact, von Clausewitz claims that, "war is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale," (14). Although the view of war as nothing more than a large-scale duel seems simplistic, the author merely suggests that violent methods of conflict resolutions are universal and widespread. War is certainly more complex than a large-scale duel, though. Whereas a duel involves only two parties and their personal supporters, war is by definition a state of conflict between at least two different societies or groups of people. None of these authors had lived through the First and Second World Wars, but certainly each of them had either experienced or heard of massive multi-party conflicts.
Art of War by Sun Tsu What are the main points of the Art of War by Sun Tsu? Sun Zi Art of War (? ) is the most well-known Chinese military treatise that is known to the Chinese as well as the western world. Written around the 4th to 5th century B.C. And consisting of only 13 chapters, its value in influencing military thinking and war strategies has seldom being questioned.
Art of War by Niccolo Machiavelli Niccolo Machiavelli understood the relationships between politics and war very well, and believed that there was a causal relationship between these two crucial pillars of society. An examination of the author's 16th century text, The Art of War, readily demonstrates as much. In Machiavelli's view, war was an essential function of politics as manifested by the state. As such, the author had very opinionated beliefs
Summary/Abstract The subject of terrain is covered exclusively in one of the thirteen chapters in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. In fact, terrain is addressed throughout The Art of War, so critical is positioning to tactical advantage and strategy. For example, the fourth chapter on “Tactical Dispositions” addresses positioning prior to Sun Tzu’s more formal “Classification of Terrain” in Chapter Ten. Whereas “Tactical Dispositions” covers defensive options, and relative positions
Sun Tsu Art of War Sun Tzu as Confucian Scholar-Soldier Sun Tzu and his famous book The Art of War cannot be understood apart from the Chinese cultural and historical context that produced them, although his concepts were widely borrowed and imitated over the past 2,000 years. He was a contemporary of Confucius, after all, and his assumptions about warfare were harmonized within that philosophical tradition. Warfare was an evil, a waste
Lao Tze and Sun Tzu "War" Chicago citation War has been a part of the human condition since humans first stood upright thousands of years ago. Every culture and society has engaged in it, while simultaneously attempting to control and eliminate it. War destroys, injures, maims, and kills not only people but entire societies. In Chinese culture, there has been many attempts to deal with the violent aspect of humanity through philosophy.
Military Strategy in Korean and Vietnam Wars There have been numerous wars in the history of the United States. Some of the critical wars in the history of the United States include the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Prior to venturing into the Vietnam War, United States had participated in the Korean War. The case of Korean War proves to be a success because of the implementation of accurate and extensive strategies.
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