The philosophy of Sun Tzu's Art of War is full of elegance.

The influence of Sun Tzu's Art of War on later generations has two distinct characteristics:

First of all, in terms of time. For more than 2000 years, with the continuous development of productive forces, the continuous progress of science and technology, and the continuous updating of weapons, the form of war is also changing. From cold weapons to gunpowder weapons; From simple ground operations to three-dimensional operations on land, sea and air; From close combat to long-distance combat; From traditional combat mode to information combat mode. However, the laws of war revealed by Sun Tzu's Art of War have not changed. Both ancient and modern generals regard Sun Tzu's Art of War as a compulsory course.

Second, from a spatial perspective. Sun Tzu's Art of War has great attraction not only to those who are engaged in war command, but also to those who are engaged in business, politics and other industries. As long as we seriously understand the true meaning of Sun Tzu's Art of War, people from all walks of life will benefit from it. This is because the battlefield, shopping malls and officialdom are all competitive, and the law of war revealed by Sun Tzu's Art of War is actually the law of competition.

What is the basis for revealing the laws of war and competition? Through philosophy. According to Marxism, scientific knowledge can be divided into three categories: natural science, social science and philosophy. Philosophy is a knowledge that reflects the laws of nature, society and people's thinking. Because of this, philosophy is called the source of the avenue and the first encyclopedia. Philosophy is great wisdom. Philosophy is the knowledge of great wisdom. Sun Tzu's art of war can reveal the laws of war and competition, which is highly respected by military strategists at all times and at all times, and favored by people of insight from all walks of life. It is enduring, because in the final analysis, it is a book full of philosophical thoughts.

"The Art of War" said: "Soldiers are cunning." "Sophistication" means cleverness, wisdom and philosophy.

Sun Tzu's Art of War is full of philosophical thoughts, which are mainly reflected in two aspects: one is simple materialism, and the other is simple dialectics.

There are two wise sayings in Sun Tzu's Art of War. The first sentence is "know yourself and know yourself, and fight every battle", which is about materialism. There is a saying that "there is no constant potential in the army and it is unpredictable in the water", which is about dialectics.

Simple materialism in Sun Tzu's Art of War

The first question answered by philosophy is the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity. Material first or consciousness first? Does existence decide thought, or does thought decide existence? Can people's subjectivity take the initiative to understand and transform objectivity?

Because of different views on these issues and different conclusions, there are materialism and idealism.

Materialism is divided into mechanical materialism and dialectical materialism. Mechanical materialism only emphasizes the primacy of material existence and denies people's subjective initiative. Dialectical materialism not only recognizes the primacy of material existence, but also recognizes people's subjective initiative.

Idealism can be divided into objective idealism and subjective idealism. Objective idealism emphasizes that heaven and ghosts dominate the world. Subjective idealism exaggerates people's subjective initiative.

The vitality of Sun Tzu's Art of War lies in its simple materialistic worldview.

(A) do not believe in heaven and ghosts and gods-against objective idealism

The theory of religious fate of the slave-owning class has long dominated the thoughts of the ancients. Divination was the main thing in Shang Dynasty, and divination was the main thing in Zhou Dynasty. The Shang and Zhou Dynasties were the heyday of divination. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, with the shaking of the political rule of slave owners, the opposition and struggle between destiny and anti-destiny, theism and atheism in philosophy and thought were very fierce. With the emergence of a vivid situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend, people have finally challenged the "Heaven" and "Ghosts and Gods", which have dominated for a long time. Laozi focuses on replacing the heaven in theology with the way of nature, while Confucius's "nothing says strangeness, strength, chaos and spirit" and so on all question and deny the ghosts and gods in heaven. In this struggle against ghosts, Sun Wu stood in the forefront of the times.

Sun Wu's materialistic explanation of "heaven" is that "heaven is a man with yin and yang, cold and heat, and time", which is incompatible with religious theology's view of "heaven" as a personified god. In the war, he strongly opposed using superstitious methods to predict the outcome, and advocated "no luck to solve doubts" ("Nine Places"), "don't take ghosts and gods, don't seek uselessness, don't seek measurement, take people and know the enemy's feelings" ("Use"), which showed a distinct atheistic thought.

While denying the ghosts and gods in the sky, Sun Wu creatively realized the transformation from divination decision-making to scientific decision-making in the military field. Sun Wu believes that the victory or defeat of the war depends on five factors: "Tao, heaven, earth, generals and law", which is interpreted as: "Tao brings people together." "Heaven, Yin and Yang, cold and hot, also. People living on land are far and near, dangerous and easy, wide and narrow, dead and alive. General, wisdom, faith, benevolence, courage and strictness. Legalism, music system, official road, the main use. " The five factors, whether politics (Tao), nature (heaven and earth), people and economy (general and regular), are all objective things. Sun Wu emphasized: "These five things will be unknown. Those who know will win, and those who don't know will be invincible." Other than that, it is not credible.

Sun Wu believes that the nature of the sky is material, and the movement of the sky is regular and can be understood and utilized. "The four seasons are impermanent, the days are short and the months are long, and the months die and the months live" (Virtual Reality), and everything is in motion and change. Natural climate and geographical location can make it serve the military struggle. In Fire Attack, he has many ancient and precious expositions on the utilization of weather. For example, "the wind lasts for a long time during the day and stops at night." If the wind blows all day, the wind will weaken until it stops at night, so it is not appropriate to launch a fire attack that night. He also found that when the moon is in the four positions of the stars, there must be strong winds and fire attacks can be taken.

(2) Advocating scientific decision-making-abandoning subjective idealism.

Sun Tzu's simple materialism is also manifested in his insistence on avoiding subjectivity and striving for objectivity in war decision-making. For example, "Fire Attack" says: "The Lord must not be angry, but must not fight; Moving is beneficial, but not moving is useless. " A monarch cannot rashly wage war because of a moment of anger, nor can a general rashly wage war because of a moment of anger. Take action if it is in the national interest, and stop if it is not. Starting from national interests, rather than subjective feelings, is the first step in making a correct decision.

Hundreds of years later, Cao Cao said something similar: "Don't fight with your emotions." During the Three Kingdoms period, there were many examples to prove this idea. For example, Liu Bei, Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han, revenged Guan Yu, which angered the soldiers who went out to attack Wu Dong. The movement was not for the benefit of the country or the people, but for brotherhood and emotion, and the result was a fiasco. Lu Xun, commander-in-chief of Soochow, burned a camp of 700 Li and finally entrusted the orphan to Baidicheng. In sharp contrast, Sima Yi: When Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang confronted each other in Qishan, no matter how Shu would challenge and scold, Sima Yi could not persist. When Zhuge Liang left Sima Yi "women's clothes" (women's clothes), she pretended to smile and said, "Kong Ming treats me like a woman!" I accepted it with an open mind. The sage said, "A little tolerance leads to great mischief." Believe it!

(3) War decision-making should first be based on "comprehensive national strength"

The first part of Sun Tzu's Art of War focuses on predicting victory or defeat with "five things and seven plans". "Five things and seven quantities" refers to comprehensive national strength.

Sun Tzu said: "Therefore, the classics are five, and learning to seek their feelings by calculating: one is the Tao, the other is the sky, the third is the earth, the fourth is the general, and the fifth is the law." "So, the school seeks feelings by planning and says: Who is the master? Who can? What is heaven and earth? What is the law? Who is stronger? Who practices foot soldiers? Who is the reward and punishment? I know the result. " (Ji pian)

"Tao", that is, popular support, that is, political credibility. Whether a country's politics is clear, whether the people and the monarch are of one mind and one mind, and whether they can live and die with the monarch without suspicion are the first conditions of war. After his grandson, Sun Bin said, "There is nothing more valuable between heaven and earth than people." . Confucian Mencius put "human harmony" in the first place when talking about the relationship between "time, place and human harmony". It can be seen that their views are consistent with those of Sun Wu. War must always be fought by "people" If the people are unwilling to serve, the war will never be won.

For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Jinping planned to attack the State of Qi. He first sent a doctor, Zhao Fan, to observe the political trends of Qi. After returning to the State of Jin, Zhao Fan reported: "Qi cannot be attacked. When I tried to humiliate his monarch, I was seen through by Yan Zi. When he tried to offend his manners, he was seen through by his master. " Confucius sighed after listening: "If you don't cross the donkey, you will break a thousand miles, and Yan Zi will call it!" The political clarity of Qi has long been "defeated by the imperial court".

"Day" refers to the changes of day and night, cold and heat, and four seasons. "Land" refers to the geographical conditions such as the distance of the road, the danger of the terrain, the openness and narrowness, and the high and low backs. These are the natural material conditions that restrict the victory or defeat of the war. Sima Fa said that "I love my people if I don't promote my teacher in winter and summer", that is, considering the constraints of natural conditions of "heaven" and "earth" on war.

For example, Battle of Red Cliffs in the Three Kingdoms period. Zhou Yu analyzed the "four taboos" committed against Sun Quan: First, the northern land is uneven, and the future troubles still exist, while Cao Yu is longer than the southern expedition; Second, the northern army did not learn to fight in water, but Cao Cao gave up the pommel horse and competed with Wu Dong for balance; Third, when it is cold, the horse has no grass; The fourth is to drive away the scholars from China, and travel far and wide in rivers and lakes. They are acclimatized and ill. These four men are also suffering from fighting, but Cao Cao is desperate. This is an important reason why Cao Cao's disregard for natural material conditions will inevitably lead to failure, while Sun and Sun have won.

"General" requires a general to have five excellent qualities: resourcefulness, honesty, kindness, courage and strictness. Only intelligent planning, only faith can be kept, only benevolence is lovely, only courage can fight, only strict can face. These five complement each other and are indispensable.

For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Tian Rangcha ruled the army. Yes, a minister, who was called Sima Yi for worshipping Fu. He has a strategic vision, is educated, has the ability to deter the enemy, and is not afraid of powerful people, and enforces the law like a mountain. Qi Jun's minion Zhuang Jia was beheaded, which shocked the armed forces and greatly increased his prestige. At the same time, he was very concerned about the soldiers, shared joys and sorrows with them, and was loved by them. When our soldiers invaded the territory of Qi, they led the army to repel the enemy. All the men fought bravely, even the sick soldiers played well, which greatly boosted their military strength. The soldiers in Jin Yan had to run away after hearing the news.

"Law" refers to the organization of the army, the management of general posts, and the management and use of military supplies. Strict law means rule, and strong rule means rule; Sparse rules are chaotic, and chaos leads to decline. If the law is enforced, soldiers will use their lives and the combat effectiveness of the army will be significantly improved.

For example, in the spring of thirty-three years, Qin's army attacked Zheng. When Qin Shihuang passed the north gate of Luoyi, the capital of Zhoudu, the soldiers in the chariot took off their helmets and jumped out of the car (to show respect for the son of heaven), and then jumped into the chariot.

This scene happened to be seen by Sun Zhouman, a young doctor. He said to King Xiangzhou, "Qin Shihuang will definitely fail." Zhou Wang asked, "Why is this?"

The king replied, "Qin Shihuang was frivolous and rude. Frivolity must be short-sighted, and rudeness must be lax military discipline. How can this army not be defeated when it enters a dangerous place? If Qin Shihuang is not defeated, it is the sage's truth that doesn't work! (Original:' There was no embarrassment in the Qin Dynasty, and it was also a waste of Tao') "

The latter, as expected, confirmed Wang's theory.

Analysis and comparison from the above five basic elements: Which monarch is enlightened? Which general is talented? Where is the right time and place? Which side is equipped with weapons? Where are the foot soldiers trained? Which side's rewards and punishments are fair and strict? Based on this, we can predict who wins and who loses.

In order to further illustrate that comprehensive national strength is an important basis for decision-making war, Sun Tzu also said: "Any method of using troops is to ride thousands of cars, ride thousands of cars, eat thousands of miles, make friends at home and abroad, use customers, use glue paint, provide armored cars, spend thousands of dollars every day, and then raise 100 thousand teachers." ("Battle")

War is an event that consumes manpower, material resources and financial resources extremely. If thousands of chariots, thousands of chariots, hundreds of foot soldiers and thousands of miles are used to feed, the normal expenses alone will cost thousands of dollars every day. Later, Cao Cao commented on this: "The reward is still outside." The reward money will be extra. With such financial and material resources, an army of 100,000 people can start. Consumption is so huge that the country can't generally afford it. If the war falls into a stalemate, it will inevitably lead to chaos, mental contusion, exhaustion of national grass and exhaustion of military combat effectiveness.

Based on this, Sun Tzu put forward the strategic principle of "soldiers are more important than time". That is, when a fighter plane appears, it is important to take action quickly to win, not for a long time. Therefore, Sun Tzu said, "Therefore, soldiers are slow to learn, and they have not seen wisdom for a long time. Those who have served the country for a long time have nothing to do with this. "

In addition, in a detailed analysis of the relationship between the country's land, population and soldiers, Xing Pian also said: "The law of (soldiers): one day, two days, three days, four days and five days. The degree of birth, the degree of birth, the number of births, the number of births, and the number of births are all said to be victories. Therefore, if the victorious soldier is easily called baht; If the defeated soldier is called Thai baht. "

Sun Tzu believes that because the land areas owned by the enemy and ourselves are different, there are different "quantities" to measure the country's products and population; This difference in "quantity" leads to different "numbers" of how many troops can be mobilized and supplied; This difference in "quantity" leads to the difference in the "name" of the comparison of military forces between the two sides, which also constitutes the material basis for the victory and defeat of both sides, and then we can preliminarily judge who is the winner. Compared with the defeated army, the winning army is in absolute advantage as if it were called "baht" (baht and baht are ancient units of weight, 24 baht is one or two, and 24 baht is one), and the defeated army is in absolute advantage as if it were called "baht".

(D) through the phenomenon to see the essence

Materialism holds that the knowledge obtained by sensory intuition is only a one-sided and superficial phenomenon, which cannot reflect the whole picture and essence of things. "To fully reflect the whole of things, reflect the essence of things, and reflect the inherent regularity of things, we must make rich perceptual materials by thinking, selecting the essence from the rough, removing the false and retaining the true, and transforming from the outside to the inside. The system that causes concepts and theories must leap from perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge. " (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, p. 268)

Compared with other social phenomena, the phenomenon of war is more elusive, more uncertain and more so-called' probability'. Therefore, for the phenomenon of war, it is especially necessary to "try to transform from one thing to another, from the outside to the inside" and look at the essence through the phenomenon, so as to deepen our understanding.

Sun Tzu has such a saying in the March, which can be called a classic to see the essence through the phenomenon: "More wood moves, come also;" Those who have many obstacles in the grass are suspicious; Birds rise and fall; If the beast is terrible, it will cover it. "The tree moving, the grass barrier, the bird rising and the beast startled are all phenomena, and coming, doubt and crouching are the essence.

Mobilizing the enemy with illusion is a counter-use to see the essence through the phenomenon. Sun Tzu's "Warring States Policy" also describes: "Therefore, those who are good at moving the enemy will follow; Give it and the enemy will take it away. Take advantage of it and wait for the opportunity. "

Show the enemy the shape of the Israeli army, and the enemy will listen to my mobilization; Put in a little profit, and the enemy is bound to take it. Lure the enemy with interests and then fight hard.

Showing Israel's military form can be military rule, showing chaos. For example, Han Xin pretended to abandon the flag and beat the drum to show confusion, so as to kill the dragon. Han Xin led the Han soldiers into Qi, and Qi fled to Gaomi, Guangdong. Xiang Yu sent veteran Long Qie to help Qi quickly. So the two armies of Chu and Han fought against Weishui. Han Xin made people swim on the water in the middle of the night, and then fought with the Chu army, pretending to abandon the flag and beat the drums. Long Qie sent troops to cross the water, and Han Xin killed people. The Weihe River was too big, and the Long Qie army drowned countless times. Han Bing rushed back to Ge and then cut the dragon.

Showing Israel's military form can be brave or timid. Sun Bin, for example, let the army cut cooking stoves and show timidity to break Pang Juan. In the 16th year of Qi Weiwang, Pang Juan commanded Wei and Zhao to attack South Korea. South Korea seeks advice from Qi. Qi and Sun Bin led the troops, still adopting the tactics of "attacking first and then saving", forcing Pang Juan to save himself. Then, taking advantage of the characteristics of "Shanxi soldiers are brave and despise the enemy", they adopted the method of reducing the earthen stoves used for cooking day by day to cover up their combat intentions and mobilize the enemy. In the end, Wei Jun misjudged, abandoned the trench and pursued the Qi army in the starry night. Wei defeated Pang Juan and committed suicide.

Show the shape of the Israeli army, which can be strong or weak. For example, the Xiongnu hid the essence and the weak, so as to besiege Liu Bang, the emperor gaozu of Han Dynasty. In the early Western Han Dynasty, Xiongnu besieged Mayi (now Shuoxian County, Shanxi Province) and approached Jinyang (now southwest of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province). Emperor gaozu Liu Bang personally led the troops to meet the Huns. In order to lure the Han army north, Huns Khan hid all the elite troops, leaving only some old, weak and disabled soldiers outside. 320,000 Han troops went all the way up to Pingcheng, and were besieged by 400,000 elite soldiers in Modu, fighting fiercely for seven days and nights.

(5) Practice makes true knowledge.

Practice-cognition-re-practice-re-cognition, which goes on and on, is the epistemology of materialism. As a special social phenomenon, war is a process from practice to practice, a deepening of knowledge and a process of reaching "true knowledge".

Sun Tzu said, "We can know the gain and loss from strategy, the reason of movement from action, the place of life and death from shape, and the shortcomings from angle." ("Virtual and Real Articles")

Sun Tzu believes that the real situation of the enemy can be obtained through the practice of war, that is, a tentative attack. Strategy, originally used as a bargaining chip in ancient operations, now means planning and making suggestions. Plan and calculate, and study the strategic gains and losses of the enemy (us); Encourage the enemy and master the law of his activities; Investigate the enemy's situation and know the enemy's actual situation and preparedness; Make tentative contact and contest with the enemy to understand the strength of the enemy (us).

It can be seen that Sun Tzu not only pays attention to the analysis and judgment of the obtained materials, but also pays more attention to on-the-spot investigation and research. Comrade Mao Zedong once said, "If you want to have knowledge, you must take part in the practice of changing reality. If you want to know the taste of pears, you have to eat them yourself. " "All real knowledge comes from direct experience." (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, p. 264) Mao Zedong emphasized the decisive role of practice in cognition here, which is consistent with Sun Tzu's view more than 2,000 years ago.

(6) Pay attention to give full play to people's subjective initiative.

Sun Wu believes that only by giving full play to people's subjective initiative, recognizing the situation clearly, making scientific decisions, directing correctly, and using the laws of war to guide operations can we gain the initiative in the war. What he said was "make people not make people" ("virtual reality"), which means trying to mobilize the enemy without being mobilized by the enemy. He also said: "I am invisible, so I am an expert and an enemy." I specialize in one, the enemy is divided into ten, and if I attack one with ten, I will be outnumbered; If you can win more than one, then make an appointment with the combatants "("reality "), which is also to give full play to people's subjective initiative in order to gain initiative and avoid passivity in the battle.

Sun Wu unified the understanding and application of objective laws with the exertion of subjective initiative, which can avoid the mistakes of mechanical materialism.

Simple Dialectics in Sun Tzu's Art of War

Dialectics is another basic problem of philosophy, which talks about the laws of motion within and between things. The main points of dialectics are as follows: first, things can be divided internally, one is divided into two, and the negative yin holds the yang, which are mutually conditional and interdependent, and can be transformed into each other under certain conditions. Second, things are generally related, and there is no isolated thing. Third, things are always developing, and there is nothing fixed. Fourth, the fundamental driving force for the development and change of things lies in the inside of things. External cause is the condition of change, and internal cause is the basis of change.

Sun Tzu's Art of War is permeated with the thought of simple dialectics. Dialectics is the soul of Sun Tzu's art of war.

(A) Analysis of things emphasizes "two-point theory"

The "two-point theory" is an important method for Sun Wu to consider and deal with problems, which embodies the dialectical thinking of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Sun Wu said: "It is the concern of smart people, which will be mixed with interests. Miscellaneous in profit and trustworthy in service, miscellaneous in harm and bitter can be solved "("nine changes "). This sentence can be said to be a key for Sun Wu to understand and solve various contradictions in the war. Sun Wu pointed out that the opposing sides in the war, whether offensive and defensive, powerful and weak, rest and rest, odd and right, false and true, far and near, are interdependent, and their interests are related and can be transformed. For example, defensive operations, "If you are prepared before, you will be outnumbered; If you are prepared, you will be widowed; If you are prepared for the left, you will be widowed; If you are prepared correctly, you can do anything (Virtual and Real Articles). "Taking care of this" means "losing another". Can't be perfect. There are always weaknesses and omissions. Therefore, if we avoid reality and attack its emptiness, the enemy's active position will be transformed into a passive position. Therefore, Sun Wu affirmed: "If the enemy can escape, he will be desperate, if he is full, he will be hungry, and if he is safe, he will move" (false and true). This simple thought about the transformation of contradictions is undoubtedly a sharp ideological weapon for countries and armies that use weak enemies to strengthen, use few enemies to strengthen and use small enemies to strengthen.

The two-point theory in Sun Tzu's Art of War is also reflected in his flexible application of Yin and Yang theory. Sun Wu said, "Heaven, Yin and Yang, cold and heat, time also." In natural days, Yin and Yang include day and night (sunny day and cloudy night), sunny day and rainy day (sunny day and cloudy day) and so on. Cao Cao commented on this: "It is precisely because of the four-time system of Yin and Yang that the execution is carried out in accordance with heaven" (Notes on Ten Families of Sun Tzu, Volume I, several articles). It can be seen that the military victory or defeat is closely related to the replacement of Yin and Yang. Pay attention to the use of yin and yang when marching. Sun Wu said in "March": "Where the army is high in evil, Guiyang is low in yin, health care is practical, and the army is free from disease, it is said that it will win." "Hill embankment, will be in Yang and right back. The benefit of this soldier is also the help of the land. " Sun Wu believes that the troops stationed should choose sunny and dry places to avoid cool and humid places. Soldiers are prone to get sick because the camp is facing away from the wet place. On the terrain of hills and dikes, we must first seize the sunny side as the main force or main wing support of the army. Sun Wu extended the theory of Yin and Yang in Qi culture to the military field, which is the correct application of simple dialectics and the vivid embodiment of the two-point theory.

(B) the concept of eternal development

Sun Wu used a simple and dialectical view of development in Sun Tzu's Art of War, pointing out that everything is constantly changing. Sun Wu compared these changes to "infinity is like heaven and earth, infinity is like rivers and seas" (Shi Pian). He described it as "husband and soldiers are like water" and "soldiers have no constant potential and water is impermanent". War, like running water, is always in a dynamic state. There is no fixed form of water, and there is no fixed mode of war. It is always changing. He also pointed out in "The Situation": "Chaos is born of governance, timidity is born of courage, and weakness is born of strength." Governance and chaos, courage and timidity, strength and weakness are not fixed, but changing. The morale of the army is "vigorous, lazy during the day and low" (On the Army), which changes with time. The materials and time needed for the war are also constantly changing. "The five elements are impermanent, and the four seasons are impermanent; If you die in a short month, you will live forever. " In a word, war and related things have changed everything.

The fundamental reason for the development and change of war lies in the contradictory struggle between the enemy and ourselves. To this end, Sun Wu believes that generals must be good at dealing with emergencies and decide our changes according to the changes in the enemy's situation. "If you benefit from the nine changes, you will know the war; You won't get the benefits of nine changes. Although you know the terrain, you can't get the benefits of the land. I don't know the technique of nine changes. Although I know five benefits, I can't be used by others. " ("Nine Changes") Only according to the ever-changing war situation can a commander change the war situation in a direction that is beneficial to himself and unfavorable to the enemy.

Sun Wu also pointed out the problem of "degree" of things' development and change. There is a certain limit to the development of things, and the degree is the joint point of the development of things. Beyond a certain level, things will go the other way. When talking about the love for pawns, he pointed out that "pawns are like babies, you can take them to deep streams;" Treat a chess piece like a son so that you can die with him. Thick can't be used, love can't be used, chaos can't be cured, and arrogance can't be used. " (Topography) He emphasized the care and love for foot soldiers, who would go through fire and water; However, if it exceeds a certain "degree" and becomes pampered, it will not be used in combat. (C) the concept of universal contact

Sun Tzu's analysis of war is not only about war, but also about military affairs. But to examine and explain the phenomenon of war and military issues from the viewpoint of universal connection of all things in the world.

War, military affairs and politics are linked together. Sun Wu said: "Those who make good use of soldiers will also cultivate and protect the law" (Xingpian). The so-called "Tao" here means "making the people consistent with their superiors" (Jipian); The so-called "law" is to strengthen the legal system and strictly reward and punish. It can be seen that the political foundation and popular support are the decisive factors for the victory or defeat of the war. This is in line with the statement in military records that "a country with clear politics is invincible." Clausewitz, a famous German militarist in modern times, once concluded: "War is the continuation of politics." In On Protracted War, Mao Zedong deepened it into "politics is a bloodless war, and war is a bloody politics". They all said the same thing.

War, military and economy are inseparable. Sun Wu said, "Any method of using troops is: galloping thousands of chariots, riding thousands of chariots, taking 100,000 armour and eating thousands of miles; Internal and external expenses, guest use, glue paint material, car armor gift, daily expenses are thousands of dollars, and then hundreds of thousands of teachers will carry it. " He also said: "if the country is poor, it will be far away, and if the people are poor, it will be far away; Those who are close to the teacher, expensive to sell, expensive to sell, the people are poor, and the people are poor. " ("War") shows how much a war consumes the country's financial resources! How to avoid excessive consumption of national strength in wartime and protect people from poverty is a problem that needs to be solved deliberately.

War and military affairs are inseparable from diplomacy. When talking about diplomatic strategy, Sun Wu said: "You can't make friends with a vassal if you don't know his intentions" (you can't make friends with him if you don't know his intentions); "If you threaten the enemy, you can't get along." Adding military power to the enemy's head can make him unable to get the cooperation and coordination of allied governors. "Don't fight for the friendship of the world, don't support for the power of the world, believe in your own self-interest and impose threats on the enemy, then your city can be pulled out and your country can be destroyed." Don't strive to make friends with the princes of the world, and don't make any country strong. Believe in your own strength and aim your military power at the enemy, and you can win its city and destroy its country. ) ("Nine Places")

(D) Contradiction analysis method

The prominent proposition of Sun Tzu's art of war, "Know yourself and yourself, and fight a hundred battles", is to emphasize contradiction analysis, deeply understand and accurately grasp the situation of the enemy and ourselves, and find ways and measures to defeat the enemy.

"On Soldiers" said: "Soldiers compete for profit, while soldiers compete for danger." This means that military struggle has both advantages and disadvantages, and generals must adhere to the view of splitting into two to deal with the war.

In "Nine Changes", Sun Wu further explained this issue: "It is the concern of an old friend, which will be mixed with interests. Miscellaneous profits and reliable services; Harm is mixed, and it can be solved in pain. " This means that a wise general will always give consideration to both advantages and disadvantages when considering problems. If the unfavorable aspects are taken into account under favorable circumstances, things will go smoothly, and if the favorable aspects are taken into account under unfavorable circumstances, the confidence of victory will be enhanced. Therefore, Sun Wu pointed out in "On War" that "those who do not fully know the harm of using soldiers cannot fully know the benefits of using them."

(5) Promote the transformation of contradictions.

In Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Sun Wu further pointed out the truth that both sides of the contradiction are transformed into each other according to certain conditions. He said: "The enemy can be desperate, hungry and flexible" (false and true). In other words, if the enemy has a good rest, he can try to make him tired; The enemy has enough supplies and can try to starve it; The enemy is stationed safely and can be moved.

Sun Tzu's Art of War is profound and incisive in its analysis of reality and reality. Sun Tzu said, "Those who throw eggs with crabs are true and false." (The "situation" requires "avoiding the real and attacking the virtual" and "seeking for the shape is better than the public." We change our own virtual reality, and the enemy's virtual reality has the hope of victory.

When analyzing the objective conditions of winning, Sun Tzu's Art of War said: "Victory lies not in oneself, but in the enemy" (xingpian). Because the enemy does not make mistakes, it is the enemy. He also said: "The victory lies in knowing, not doing it" (Xing Pian). Victory is foreseeable, but it can't be achieved by subjective desire, and it needs certain conditions.

As mentioned above, the philosophical thought of Sun Tzu's Art of War is rich and profound, and it has strong practicality.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, military strategists appeared to meet the needs of the fierce struggle to replace slavery with feudalism. "The important thing of the country is to govern for worship" (Zuo Zhuan, Volume 14, Thirteen Years of Being a Public Official), that is, the important thing of the country is to fight for sacrifice. Therefore, some people of insight have studied the military theory of "capturing the enemy and winning".

Sun Wu lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was born in a noble family and a military commander's family, so he received a good education and had access to military documents and archives. In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, wars were very frequent. Sun Wu summed up the experience and laws of those wars and promoted them to military theory, thus forming a 13-chapter masterpiece, The Art of War.

Later, Sun Wu went to Wu with his father and met Wu Zixu, the counselor of He Lv, the king of Wu. On Wu's recommendation, Sun Wu took the manuscript of Sun Tzu's Art of War to meet the King of Wu, who appreciated him and appointed him as a general. He defeated the State of Chu with 30,000 soldiers. Into Ying, Chu capital (now Jiangling North, Hubei). From then on, the State of Wu became powerful and became "a famous vassal in the Northern Jin Dynasty" (Historical Records, The Art of War, Biography of Wuqi, Volume 65). Since then, Sun Wu resigned from the army and lived in seclusion in the countryside, specially revising and perfecting his own art of war.

It can be seen that the formation process of The Art of War is a process of practice-cognition-practice-re-cognition. The philosophical thought of Sun Tzu's Art of War comes from practice and is higher than practice, so it has a strong guiding significance to practice. When we study the philosophy of Sun Tzu's Art of War, we should deeply understand its spiritual essence, actively participate in social practice, confirm and understand it in practice, and improve and develop it in practice.

It should be noted that Sun Tzu's Art of War is full of incisive philosophical thoughts, but it is not a philosophical monograph after all. Its materialism and dialectics lie in the discussion of war and military affairs, and it is still simple and unconscious. What really makes materialism and dialectics a mature philosophical theory is Marxism. Marxism has three components-philosophy, political economy and scientific socialism. Philosophy is dialectical materialism and historical materialism. We study and apply the philosophy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Only under the guidance of Marxism and adhering to dialectical materialism and historical materialism can we not lose our way.