The Art of War

Sun Tzu lived in the 5th century BC. His real name, Sun Wu Sun Tzu, means "Teacher Sun". Chinese tradition considers him the author of the very first work that later gave rise to the literary genre "Bing Fa" ("The Art of War"). At the same time, this is the very first treatise in the history of mankind devoted to war and the art of war. "War is a struggle. In the closest sense, war is a single combat of armies." (Zhang Yu) But this is only in a narrow, purely military sense. The struggle in war does not differ in its nature from the struggle in general: it is the same struggle as any other, waged not by military means. Sun Tzu puts it on a par with diplomatic struggle, with political struggle. It is not surprising that in our days the ancient "Art of War" attracts not so much rulers and their generals, as businessmen who successfully use the provisions of the "Art of War" for management tasks and conflict resolution.