El arte de la Guerra

Por Sun Tzu

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El tratado de estrategia más influyente del mundo

The Art of War 'es un antiguo tratado militar chino que data del siglo V aC y se atribuye al antiguo estratega militar chino Sun Tzu. El texto está compuesto por 13 capítulos, cada uno de los cuales está dedicado a un aspecto de la guerra y comúnmente se piensa que es un trabajo definitivo sobre estrategia y táctica militar. Fue colocado a la cabeza de los Siete Clásicos Militares de China tras la creación de la colección en 1080 por el Emperador Shenzong de Song, y ha sido durante mucho tiempo el texto de estrategia más influyente en el Este de Asia. Ha tenido una influencia en el pensamiento militar oriental y occidental, las tácticas comerciales, la estrategia legal y más allá.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Moon Classics
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 8 nov 2020
• ISBN: 9782378077440

Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu fue un general, estratega militar y filósofo de la antigua China. El nombre por el que lo conocemos es en realidad un título honorífico que significa «Maestro Sun». Su nombre de nacimiento era Sun Wu y fuera de su familia era conocido por su nombre de cortesía Changqing. Tradicionalmente se le considera como el autor de El arte de la guerra, un influyente tratado sobre estrategia militar.

Vista previa del libro

Sun Tzu

Publicado: -500

Categoría(s): No Ficción, Humanidades, Filosofía

Capítulo 1

Sobre la evaluación

Sun Tzu dice: la guerra es de vital importancia para el Estado; es el dominio de la vida o de la muerte, el camino hacia la supervivencia o la pérdida del Imperio: es forzoso manejarla bien. No reflexionar seriamente sobre todo lo que le concierne es dar prueba de una culpable indiferencia en lo que respecta a la conservación o pérdida de lo que nos es mas querido; y ello no debe ocurrir entre nosotros.

Hay que valorarla en términos de cinco factores fundamentales, y hacer comparaciones entre diversas condiciones de los bandos rivales, con vistas a determinar el resultado de la guerra. El primero de estos factores es la doctrina; el segundo, el tiempo; el tercero, el terreno; el cuarto, el mando; y el quinto, la disciplina.

La doctrina significa aquello que hace que el pueblo esté en armonía con su gobernante, de modo que le siga donde sea, sin temer por sus vidas ni a correr cualquier peligro.

El tiempo significa el Ying y el Yang, la noche y el día, el frío y el calor, días despejados o lluviosos, y el cambio de las estaciones.

El terreno implica las distancias, y hace referencia a dónde es fácil o difícil desplazarse, y si es campo abierto o lugares estrechos, y esto influencia las posibilidades de supervivencia.

El mando ha de tener como cualidades: sabiduría, sinceridad, benevolencia, coraje y disciplina.

Por último, la disciplina ha de ser comprendida como la organización del ejército, las graduaciones y rangos entre los oficiales, la regulación de las rutas de suministros, y la provisión de material militar al ejército.

Estos cinco factores fundamentales han de ser conocidos por cada general. Aquel que los domina, vence; aquel que no, sale derrotado. Por lo tanto, al trazar los planes, han de compararse los siguiente siete factores, valorando cada uno con el mayor cuidado:

¿Qué dirigente es más sabio y capaz?

¿Qué comandante posee el mayor talento?

¿Qué ejército obtiene ventajas de la naturaleza y el terreno?

¿En qué ejército se observan mejor las regulaciones y las instrucciones?

¿Qué tropas son más fuertes?

¿Qué ejército tiene oficiales y tropas mejor entrenadas?

¿Qué ejército administra recompensas y castigos de forma más justa?

Mediante el estudio de estos siete factores, seré capaz de adivinar cual de los dos bandos saldrá victorioso y cual será derrotado.

El general que siga mi consejo, es seguro que vencerá. Ese general ha de ser mantenido al mando. Aquel que ignore mi consejo, ciertamente será derrotado. Ese debe ser destituido.

Tras prestar atención a mi consejo y planes, el general debe crear una situación que contribuya a su cumplimiento. Por situación quiero decir que debe tomar en consideración la situación del campo, y actuar de acuerdo con lo que le es ventajoso.

El arte de la guerra se basa en el engaño. Por lo tanto, cuando es capaz de atacar, ha de aparentar incapacidad; cuando las tropas se mueven, aparentar inactividad. Si está cerca del enemigo, ha de hacerle creer que está lejos; si está lejos, aparentar que se está cerca. Poner cebos para atraer al enemigo.

Golpear al enemigo cuando está desordenado. Prepararse contra él cuando está seguro en todas partes. Evitarle durante un tiempo cuando es más fuerte. Si tu oponente tiene un temperamento colérico, intenta irritarle. Si es arrogante, trata de fomentar su egoísmo.

Si las tropas enemigas se hallan bien preparadas tras una reorganización, intenta desordenarlas. Si están unidas, siembra la disensión entre sus filas. Ataca al enemigo cuando no está preparado, y aparece cuando no te espera. Estas son las claves de la victoria para el estratega.

Ahora, si las estimaciones realizadas antes de la batalla indican victoria, es porque los cálculos cuidadosamente realizados muestran que tus condiciones son más favorables que las condiciones del enemigo; si indican derrota, es porque muestran que las condiciones favorables para la batalla son menores. Con una evaluación cuidadosa, uno puede vencer; sin ella, no puede. Muchas menos oportunidades de victoria tendrá aquel que no realiza cálculos en absoluto.

Gracias a este método, se puede examinar la situación, y el resultado aparece claramente.

Capítulo 2

Sobre la iniciación de las acciones

Una vez comenzada la batalla, aunque

Comentarios para El arte de la Guerra

[takeitorleaveit_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

you kind of have to read this, yah. so privately canonized.

[paven-14534 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

Interesting if you are going to role play a general or ambitious warrior.

[colie77 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I honestly have no idea why this is always on the list of must-read books. You are basically reading the bullet points of someone's strategic plan to win a battle. Meh. At least it was only an hour and a half.

[spoko_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Many of Sun Tzu's ideas are common-sense enough, but succinctly put here. It's a quick, easy read, so it's not hard to make the case that it's worth the time. But gliding through it effortlessly will make it difficult for the ideas to really stick. So I guess it's also easy to make the case for at least one re-read. I'll probably give it another go myself in the near future, but for now I'm happy with the bits and pieces I've gleaned. It certainly didn't change my life or anything, but then I didn't expect it to.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Tempted to give it four stars because it is so much better than so much other Heinlein. But that's not worth much, actually. I did have to edit the blurb, however.

[whbiii · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Vapid martial homilies.

[redthing · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

I had to read this for an English class. I'm still trying to figure out why.

Maybe I'll be better at strategy games?

[aleph123_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I have other versions of Sun Tzu's Art of War, and the first one I purchased in Italian was actually a new translation published by the Army publisher, as a Chinese officer part of an exchange programme saw that all the Italian versions at the time were actually... translations of translations

I have also read the Sawyer edition, among others, but I picked up this one in a library as it was the only one I saw so far that, beside the translation, included also a rewriting in Chinese

Interesting series of books, as they republished classics from Chinese history following the same approach- so, I was curious to see the differences (on the English side- my abilities in Chinese will be enough to read in Chinese... in few years- in modern Chinese)

[shahnareads · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Defiantly some good tips in here. I can see why other countries armies are so well disciplined if they still use these tactics. Some of them could also work for dealing with people as well. Some handy things in here.

It's easy to read, but he repeats things a lot, and some of the sentence are worded strangely. And then, some lines are written like poetry.

It was a something different, and I'm glad I picked it up.

[lynnb_64 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I'm so glad I finally read this historic book. I found it very interesting and understand why it has been adapted to suit other fields -- notably management. And the version of the book I bought is beautiful in itself. Bound in traditional Chinese style, with each page folded in half and only printed on the outside. Hard to rate -- it is what it is as they say -- but I'm rating it highly because it has stood the test of time.

[spooks101-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

An enduring classic, an absolute must-read for every business person and military mind the world over.

[beammey · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, to be honest. I just made a promise to myself I would read more classics and this was a short one to get in so I can reach my reading goal. However, I ended up really, really enjoying it. I'm not a soldier by any stretch of the imagination, but there is good, solid advice in this book that is still relevant thousands of years after it was written. It's worth a read for sure, and it's so short you can get through it quickly. I would recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

[madepercy-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I have read this several times in a variety of translations. This version is formatted like a poem and is a quick read. Interesting that Sun Tzu echoes many of the issues raised by Thucydides. I remember an Instructor Gunnery during my Regimental Officers Basic Course from the United States artillery beginning every lesson with: "Sun Tzu says...". And, "If a 155 round lands on a tank, the tank is toast". So much in such a short book and it was quite possibly written before Thucydides was born.

[kamgeb · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

During a sermon, the rabbi talked about this book and said that it was really a philosophy on how to live life. When I started reading it, I saw that it really is a book on how to wage war. Definitely not what I expected and definitely not a book I would ever want to read.

[jculkin-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I read this and let my mind wander a little, but not too much. Invariably whatever I think about mixes with the words, and elegant, clear observations come out. It's like guided meditation.

[michael_rose-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The version I have also has a second section for commentaries on all the passages. It's an incredibly useful and insightful book, and not necessarily just for literal war.

[mbmackay · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Another translation (Ralph Sawyer) and lots of background history & hints of textual analysis - but fails to grab.
Read July 2006

[haidji-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is a great book.
This ancient classic was written over 2,500 years ago by the legendary Chinese general Sun Tzu, being a
a timeless masterpiece of interaction of power and politics this book teaches many good lessons to anyone who will ever have to command a group of people, in the workplace, in school, or on the battlefield.
The Art of War is an ageless book that teaches human nature and how to deal with difficult situations in life and business.
The lessons learned in this book can be allied to relationship, friendship, career and make you a more complete person in general. I I recommend this book to be read by all those who wants to succeed in anything they do, It is not just about lessons in war but can be used and applied for everyday life.
"The Art of War" is a must read.

[areadingmachine · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Everyone should read this.

It tells you as much about motivation and human compunction than any other book Ive ever read. This should be required reading for teachers, businessmen, cops, everyone that every has to deal with a group of people in a possibly hostile setting.

[trilliams · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It's amazing that this advice is still quite relevant 2500 years after the fact. Some of it, of course, isn't, but that'll happen. The historical allusions in Giles' translation/commentary are pretty useful, though occasionally it gets really deep into Chinese history and you forget who you are and what you're reading. What dynasty are we in again?

[jimocracy · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The original book was interesting but the commentary portion of the book was insightful. I liked hearing perspective on Master Sun's work from other ancient military leaders.

[benuathanasia · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Fascinating. My particular copy (an audiobook) included modern comparisons between each chapter which was horribly annoying. The observations in the book maintain their usefulness to the present.

[jvioland_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Very fundamental axioms of strategies put forward by an ancient Chinese general. Influential even today not only in military matters but in the business world as well.

[mgeorge2755 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Quite possibly the most influential book on military tactics of all time. I was incredibly surprised by its brevity. A must-read for any historian. 

[auntieclio · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Inspiration comes from many places and The Art of War is one of those books mentioned frequently in my circles. It's one of those books I've been meaning to get to for years and, while I am not sorry that I finally got to it, its usefulness to me is limited.

Most of the non-strategic advice is good leadership advice. Things such as being a leader means setting the standard for how the work should be done, including getting one's hands dirty with the lowliest tasks. I've read plenty of stuff about leadership, and setting the example, that there really wasn't anything new for me here.

Since I'm not interested in military strategies, the rest was dry.

From a strictly historic perspective, I can understand the importance of this treatise. But as an outstanding example of leadership and strategy in the 21st century? I'm not seeing it.

[joeyee-4 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Don't like this edition. The history is boring and confusing (chi, Ch'i, ch'i all mean different things) 1 star for the edition and history part.

The actual Art of War is good. 3 stars.

[dtn620 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

There was a lot of repetition in this book, but maybe it's to enforce some of the most important things to remember when conducting a war.

I was surprised by how much from this ancient text seems applicable today. I guess that can be chalked up to the knowledge and foresight of Sun Tzu, as well as our sad inability to change our violent ways.

One particular bit of text seemed particularly relevant:

When the army engages in protracted campaigns the resources of the state will not suffice.

Good advice.

[melissarochell-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Classic, brilliant techniques put so simply. Yet, naturally, reading this as a modern day civilian, I applied it to my modern day battles such as in business, relationships, Los Angeles traffic...the typical. As a naturally paranoid person, I feel it did me more harm than good. In addition, I prefer to (perhaps ignorantly) avoid seeing things as if they are wars. Some things will never change though because I will always act shy and giggle right before I slaughter my enemy.

[sumit_nangia-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

My first "android" book :)
3 days of boring lectures and you complete a whole book !!!!
A Sun Tzu's masterpiece on competition in a battlefield.An obstinate struggle to survive,to fight with a person's best spirits and a anecdote of survival in tough times. The book talks about various moves of enemies and optimum strategic judgement according to opponent's strength and weakness.
Main categories under which the comprehensive book is divided are: Laying plans, waging war, strategic attacks, energy, tactical dispositions, army on march, fire attacks and use of spies.
A book one of its kind. Precise, short statements without any kind of obfuscation, a provident manifestation of a probable war like situation.Indeed, a complete war time reference manual.

[kidsisyphus · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

If you're already self-actualized (read: me), this is nothing but a bunch of shih.