On 10 November, at the Adomas Mickevičius Public Library of Vilnius County, Dr Vytis Silius gave a lecture on perhaps the most famous and universal Sunzi work in the world "The Art of War".First, the event introduced us to the historical and cultural context.
The "Art of War" has its roots in the 400-300 BC period, when China was going through a period of warring kingdoms. The earliest version of the work dates from 140-118 BC and was found during excavations in 1972. Texts in those times were written without specific authorship, which is why this work is thought to have been written by a number of authors, rather than by a particular person, and attributed to a single Sunzi. One of the most important features of Chinese culture, which Silius emphasised in his lecture and which must be felt when reading this book, is the yinyang worldview, which emphasises complementary and reciprocal factors.
The links between the terms, ideas and images surrounding our world in The Art of War and the philosophical cultural system of the time highlight the depth of the text. The focus of this text is on the ruler and the warlord. The first chapter explains what a ruler must do and how he must act. The role of the ruler involves going his own way (dao) and deciding when to enter battle with caution and responsibility, and his role ends when there is no choice but to meet the enemy and go to war. That is when the Warlord comes to the rescue. He is independent, responsible, exemplary and manages by adapting to the environment, the people around him and the circumstances, because you can only act effectively and efficiently when you do not act on impulse, but in interaction with the environment and those around you.
What should we pay attention to when reading the work? Firstly, it is described the global state of warfare and how the way of warfare itself has changed, and how the cultural hero is understood in Chinese culture and how those who dared to fight are ignored. When we read the Sunzi, we have to understand that this is a culture in which war is not glorified; it is seen as a last resort. In this civilisation, the main heroes, from the beginning to the present day, are cultural and not military. What is it that creates the universal value of this work?
The human being is at the heart of this work. The underlying assumption of this book is that we are exposed to a very diverse, complex and ever-changing world, whose principles of change are beyond our control, and that we need to do something about ourselves in the face of this variability. Finally, the researcher returns to the title of the work and questions whether "The Art of War" is really the correct translation, saying that this should be taken with caution. In Chinese, "fa" 法 is better translated as "rule" or rather "regularity". And the word "art": a little misleading, giving such a romanticised meaning.
We hope that the audience has gained deep insights into timeless truths, questioned translations, and delved further into the heart of the work. Thank you to those who attended and to those who were not afraid to express their opinions and debate. We look forward to welcoming you at our next Institute events.