logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2020
47m 56s

Ep. 255: Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (Par...

Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey
About this episode

On the Chinese military treatise from around the 5th century BCE.

How does a philosopher wage war? The best kind of war can be won without fighting. The general qua Taoist sage never moves until circumstances are optimal. We talk virtue ethics and practical strategy; how well can Sunzi's advice be applied to non-martial pursuits? With guest Brian Wilson.

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Get it now or listen to a preview.

Up next
Nov 23
Ep. 380: Josiah Royce on Community (Part One)
<p>On sections of <em>The Problem of Christianity</em> (1913) which establish Royce's concept of a community of interpretation: individuals working together with a sense of shared history and expectation. He claims that such a grouping can be counted as a literal mind and that it ... Show More
46m 54s
Nov 20
PEL Presents NEM#242: Marshall Crenshaw Subtracts
<p>Marshall began creating his catchy, harmonically thick rock tunes in the early '80s with six major label albums, but went indie in the '90s to record four more as well as several EPs and live collections.</p> <p>We discuss "Stranger and Stranger," newly reworked for <em>From t ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 17
Ep. 379: Egyptian Philosophy with Chike Jeffers (Part Two)
<p>Continuing on sources from ancient Egypt, finishing up the instructional literature: "The Instruction of Ptahhotep," and "The Instruction Addressed to King Merikare," and then we move to the dialogues, ""The Eloquent Peasant," and "The Dispute Between a Man and His Ba."</p> <p ... Show More
1h 11m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2022
The Art of War: Ancient Chinese guide to victory
The Art of War is one of the most important military strategy texts ever written, and it has become just as influential, perhaps even more so, in the worlds of business, sport, and politics. Bridget Kendall learns what the 2,000-year-old treatise has to say about deception, spyin ... Show More
39m 57s
Dec 2016
William H. Shaw, “Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War” (Routledge, 2016)
On any mature view, war is horrific. Naturally, there is a broad range of fundamental ethical questions regarding war. According to most moral theories, war is nonetheless sometimes permitted, and perhaps even obligatory. But even an obligatory war may be fought in a morally impe ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 2023
Why We Fight
<p>We often suppose that wars are fought over things like resources, border disputes, and ideologies. My guest calls this "the spreadsheet approach to war" and argues that, in reality, such factors only come in as justifications for the much deeper drives at play.</p><p>Mike Mart ... Show More
46m 11s
Dec 2010
How the Rules of War Work
<p>The rules of war are agreed-upon rules that are intended to govern international wars and conflicts. Who developed these rules? And do countries really abide by them? Josh and Chuck take a detailed look at how the rules of war work in this episode.</p><p> </p> Learn more about ... Show More
34m 23s
May 2018
8 | Lydy
Fighting has to be somewhere in your nature if you want to be part of a warrior class. Notions about having the killer instinct probably are overstated because killing isn’t always what circumstances requires of a warrior. The will to fight, however, is more than a mere prerequis ... Show More
45m 31s
May 2019
#55 - Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL, Part I of II: objective, strategy & tactics, leadership, protocols, dealing with death, and applying the many lessons learned from war
<p>In part 1 of this 2 part series, Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL, discusses some of his most important lessons learned from his time commanding some of the world's most expert special forces operators including the importance of understanding the objective and strategy (and t ... Show More
2h 39m
Sep 2023
Sun Tzu & The Art of War
It’s cited in war rooms and boardrooms, but perhaps the most important lessons from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War are about the art of espionage. This 6th century guidebook has inspired organizations around the world, from the CIA to the KGB, making it one of the most important texts ... Show More
45m 14s