“Sunzi’s Cautions Against War
2 min readAs a military classic, Sunzi’s Art of War provides a complete set of strategiesand tactics for winning a war. Paradoxically, the book does not encourage rulersto be bellicose but rather warns them again and again to refrain from waging a war without careful consideration.
At the very beginning, the book points out,”The use of force is a matter of life or death for the soldiers, the people and the country.”Such a matter can never be taken lightly. At the end of the book, Sunzi raised the warning once more,”A head of state must not wage a war spurred by a momentary anger, and the commander and general must not wage a war spurred by a momentary bad mood. They must take into consideration overall national interests for declaring war or desisting from war. Anger can turn into delight and a bad mood can change into a good mood, but a country lost is lost forever and those killed are dead forever. Therefore,a wise ruler must handle matters of war with extreme care, and good commanders and generals must handle them with the greatest caution as well. This is the cardinal principle for safeguarding the country and the army.”
Sunzi’s cautions against war were continued in Sun Bin’s Art of War(Sun Bin bingfa), by a strategist in the middle of the Warring States Period. Whileteaching military professionals how to fight and win wars, Sun Bin (birth and death dates unknown) also cautioned that, fighting and winning every war is not a good thing; those who are bellicose and intent on winning victory through wars are bound to fail and only bring shame on themselves. Sunzi’s Art of War and Sun Bin’s Art of War both warn readers of the great dangers of war.
Such thoughts represent, as great strategists, their concern and carefor human life. As nuclear war looms larger in today’s world, the cautions of Sunzi and Sun Bin certainly deserve the serious attention of those who have the power to push”the button.”
