On 15 November Dr. Vytis Silius, Confucian scholar, Sun Yat-sen University researcher, gave a lecture on Sunzi's The Art of War at the Confucius Institute of Vilnius University. In this lecture, we explained the historical circumstances of the emergence of this text and the most important ideas. V. Silius outlined how Sunzi proposes to wage war and what the ideal victory in war is. The researcher also shared his own initial insights into the interest and universality of the book, not only introducing the structure of the book, but also highlighting what makes it unique in its universality.
First, the speaker presented the historical background of the work. An interesting fact is that this work may have been written by several authors and only attributed to one Sunzi. However, it is known that the work was written in the 5th century BC, when China was going through a period of warring kingdoms. The earliest version we have is a Sunzi work from 140-118 BC, which was discovered during excavations in 1972. The current translations are mainly based on it.
What do we need to look out for when reading Sunzi? Dr Silius emphasises several things. Firstly, there is the difference in perception. For example, in Chinese culture, there is no separation between practice and theory, which in our Western perspective are considered separate.
Another thing to pay attention to, according to the speaker, is how Chinese culture understands the cultural hero and ignores those who dared to fight. When we read Sunzi, we have to understand that this is a culture that does not see war as a role model and war is seen as a last resort. A soldier is only as good as he does not get involved in battle. Military heroism is not discouraged in the text, but it is attempted to be contained.
According to the speaker, another very important aspect of reading this work is the core concepts (there are over 30 of them), terms that still exist in Chinese culture today and without understanding them, it is simply impossible to understand modern China, just as it is impossible to understand what the work is trying to say.
However, perhaps the most important feature of Chinese culture that Silius highlighted in his lecture and that must be felt when reading this book is the yinyang worldview. It is the idea that there is no starting point, that there are complementary and mutually reinforcing factors. The scholar has given good examples.
As we read and try to make sense of this text, we need to think at the same time about other interacting texts that existed in the period. After all, the terms, ideas and images surrounding our world in The Art of War are inextricably linked to what we call the philosophical cultural framework, and this relationship is very close. It should also not be forgotten that Sunzi lived in the same period as Laozi and Confucius.
Finally, the researcher returns to the title of the work and questions whether "The Art of War" is really the correct translation, arguing that caution should be exercised. In Chinese, "fa" 法 is better translated as "rule" or rather "regularity". And 'art' is a little misleading, giving such a romanticised meaning.
Moreover, Silius stressed that it is a set of absolute ideas, not a theory. It is a constantly changing situation that cannot be predicted. War as a political, ethical and moral phenomenon. We can develop the thinking of the soldier, but we will not be able to accompany him into the field of war; we have to prepare the human being in the broadest sense, and that is why the human being is the cornerstone of this text on war. The focus is on the ruler and the soldier.
V. Silius concluded his lecture with perhaps the most popular quotations from The Art of War:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
The universality of this work is manifested in the fact that its principles are used in all situations of life - human relations, medicine, diplomacy, business, etc. - wherever there is a situation of uncertainty, where the outcome is not necessarily what you expect, and where this requires adaptive action.
Thank you to the audience, who, we believe, have taken in thousands of years of truths and had the opportunity to ask questions of the researcher. Now we just have to wait for the translation of the one and only, the best translation of the work from the original language, with the linguistic and cultural explanations that are necessary for understanding.