The Art of War (III)

2010.05.21

 

Leaders – it is an important aspect of all military strategy. Without a leader, a group cannot fully organize and become successful. Master Sun Tzu says that leaders are defined by five characteristics: intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness. Commentator Jia Lin explains how only these five virtues together make a functioning commander.

 

Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness. Fixation on trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive sternness of command results in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a military leader.

 

Being a good leader not only requires these virtues, but needs to be executed properly. Sun Tzu says that “discipline means organization, chain of command, and logistics.” In order to operate a successful cooperation of divisions, the leader must be able to organize the people and place them in a clear, direct chain of command. Failure to give generals unconstrained control from their leaders can lead to perilous results.

 

In World War II (WWII), the Allied command structure gave General Eisenhower absolute authority as supreme leader of all Ally forces on the Western Front. Beneath General Eisenhower are four commanders for the Navy, the Air Force, the US Army group, and the British Army Group – each with their own resources and defined responsibilities. This system is designed similar to that of an organized org chart, each being able to cooperate with Eisenhower, while having the freedom to independently utilize his own resources without restraint. The Allied command chain allowed all the units to collaborate efficiently and effectively to a specific set of commanders with a common goal.

 

One would assume a dictator as Hitler would design an even more defined and efficient system of command. However, it is quite the opposite. In fact, Hitler’s org chart is cluttered with responsibilities that are shared amongst some commanders, while resources are separated or split to different commanders. The system is confusing with overlapping authority. This was to ensure that no one person obtained all the information or had direct control over forces at their disposal. It was designed to direct all authority to the hands of Hitler; he would make the final decision on the allocation of troops and dispersion of weapons and materials.

Quick-write: The Rules of Love

Quick-write: The Rules of Love

Prompt: Answer any of the four questions provided below.

1. What rules govern the behaviour of young men and women in relationships today?

 

2. Name a situation in which the rules have clearly been violated. That is, what actions or gestures do women just do not do; what actions or gestures that gentlemen do not do…?

 

3. What are the possible consequences for being in violation of these rules?

 

4. Where do these rules originate? Who invented these rules and who enforces them?

 

A “relationship” for the purpose of this post refers to a romantic or passionate attachment to a person.

 

Although the term relationship in all respect of the word technically means simply the relation connecting or binding participants in a “relationship” – basically put as a kinship, the “rules of love” could apply to the aforementioned.

 

In my point of view, there are two schools of thought one what governs the behaviour of young couples. There is a more traditional school of thought that a gentleman should formally ask for a date (usually to a fine dinner or film), and the media-popular mentality that a man finds a woman based on his “sexual” drive toward her. I am much a fan of the former – a more sophisticated view – a significant other; while the latter seems to treat women as more as a means to please his…desires (if you will).

 

If the desired route is the formal presentation, the rules are generally strict and rigid with limited opportunity for independent variation. He (the gentleman) will ask her (the lady) on a date – usually, but not limited to, a fine dinner, a walk through a garden or park, a movie, or a tour (or variation thereof). He will dress formal or semi-formal appropriate for the scenario. He will treat her in a respectful manner with commonplace gestures – opening the door and allow her to enter first, picking her up, driving her to and from locations of the date, paying for the bill, speaking with language void of profanity, and not bringing his mother, etc. I assume there are many others that dictate the proper formalities of a date. The world of relationships is a complex state – true love is something difficult to come by. American media (along with other media) greatly influence the “modern” approach to relationships – especially with the younger “technology” generations.

 

To my understanding, current ideals of a date would be to go to a dance or club. He is to purchase drinks and other alcoholic beverages, possibly to get drunk. Thereafter sexual desires may affect the actions of him or her – possibly to the extent of sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, the “health” of the relationship is greatly jeopardised.

The Art of War (II)

2010.05.14

To Whom It May Concern:

Sun Tzu originally wrote Sun-tzu ping-fa around 500BC. For centuries, thirteen chapters that it composed held the secret to understanding the very roots of conflict and resolution; its knowledge was known only to the highest of Chinese and Japanese scholars and military generals. Now translations of Sun Tzu’s work fill the pages of The Art of War. Translator Thomas Cleary takes the time to read over Master Sun’s work and carefully translate his words. In addition to Master Sun, Cleary also selects eleven interpreters to provide commentaries in this translation. Most of the commentators were high ranking military officers of the Chinese military – often famous for some war or fight. Others were just famous Chinese writers and some with no known history or information excluding their commentary on The Art of War. Interpreters generally lived during the first to twelfth centuries.

The Art of War is densely packed with quotes of Master Sun. He says:

Planning should be secret,

attack should be swift. When an army takes its objective like a hawk striking its prey, and battles like a river broken through a dam, its opponents will scatter before the army tires. This is the use of the momentum of an army.

By reading Master Sun’s work, one will find that he repeats this focus on objectivity. Generals need to assess a situation with a dispassionate perspective, yet carefully calculate his actions. Sun Tzu is well known for saying, “to win without fighting is best.” Commentator Zhuge says:

Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered; those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win.

Sun Tzu believes war is either life or death. The first words in The Art of War are, “Millitary action is important to the nation – it is the ground of death and life, the path of survival and destruction, so it is imperative to examine it.” Master Sun has strong views of the layout of war. War is a means to an end – what that end is varies from political to economic. But in the end if you battle – battle till the death, you should either come out victorious and alive, or defeated and dead. This was a philosophy the Japanese used in fighting World War II (kamikaze suicide bombers). Of course, that is not to mention The Art of War solely influenced the Japanese philosophy. Strong Japanese culture on honor describe that it is best to die honorably than be taken prisoner.

Most wars during the medieval times of Europe generally attacked opponents head-on in a battlefront. For the most part, the goal was to show which army was most courageous and strongest. But fighting costs lives, supplies, and money – something that Master Sun’s army could not actually afford. However, Master Sun could care less about fame and glory; he only wants to win. Sun applauds those generals who can outwit his enemy, rather than outfight them.

Fighting also requires deception. Knowing while being unknown, this concept is repeated multiple times as one of the successes in battle. Zhuge uses inspiration from the Tao-te Ching, The Art of War (Sun-tzu ping-fa), and The Masters of Huainan and traditions from Taoist and Confucian philosophy to explain deception:

A skilled attack is one against which opponents do not know how to defend; a skilled defense is one which opponents do not know how to attack. Therefore those skilled in defense are not so because of fortress walls.

This is why high walls and deep moats do not guarantee security, while strong armor and effective weapons do not guarantee strength. If opponents want to hold firm, attack where they are unprepared; if opponents want to establish a battlefront, appear where they do not expect you.

Here Commentator Zhuge explains that relying on advanced technology and weaponry alone will not guarantee success in battle. Even the best of defenses cannot protect an army from all circumstances. The last sentence about attacking where they are unprepared and they do not expect you is better explained in another quote that I may use later.

The secret to this art of invisibility – this idea of knowing while being unknown – is precisely the interior detachment cultivated by Taoists for attaining impersonal views of objective reality.

[M]easure (military action) in terms of five things, use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what the conditions are. The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline. –Sun Tzu

Interpreter Zhang Yu (Sung Dynasty, 960—1278) comments that discipline means that regulations are strict and clear.

Zhang Yu is only known for his commentary on The Art of War (and a collection of biographies of military leaders). Interestingly, Yu appears to interpret Master Sun’s work in a similar way that I do. The text of this translation is organized so that Master Sun’s original, translated line is printed in bold typeface. Following are the comments of some (or all) the interpreters; some quotations may only have one commentary, while others may have all eleven comment. As I read Sun Tzu’s philosophies, I interpret and comment in my mind. I notice as I read Zhang Yu’s interpretations, I agree in almost all situations or see similar points of view.

I know that as The Art of War continues, I will be able to find more insight on the understanding of conflict and strategic battle. As I mentioned in the first Literature Circle letter, The Art of War is not only a text on military strategy, it is a book on the understanding of conflict.

Research Thesis - Topic Description

In history class, there is a month-long project on a research thesis about some international/global topic of our choosing. A description of our topic that includes (a) the topic and basic information or background (b) the reason of choosing the particular topic (c) any information that has been accumulated when searching for sources and (d) any particular focus or issues to be addressed in the thesis. My topic description is below:

The topic I will be writing about for the research thesis is overfishing. Overfishing is the focus of my thesis because I enjoy fish. A segment of my research will be the overfishing in Japan because I am fond of sashimi (a Japanese dish of thinly sliced raw fish). The Japanese cuisine that is not cooked is usually forms of sushi – and one of my favorite food preparation styles. But with such a popular style of food, how do Japan and other locations with heavy Japanese populations fish for a large audience. Understand that a whole tuna fish on auction in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market (the largest fish market in the world) can cost the same price as a car. Even then hundreds of fresh, whole tuna are hauled in daily – thousands of frozen specimens are auctioned off on top of that. I want to learn how one of my favorite foods – fish – could be so popular that it becomes an international issue. After thousands of tuna are purchased daily in the world’s largest fish market, how there could still be fish left in the oceans.

My research suggests that commercial overfish originated with the Industrial Revolution. This dramatically increased human population and with it a sudden demand for the necessities of life – food, water, shelter, and clothing. It was during this time of industrialization in Japan when small, subsidence fishing operations evolved into larger commercial fisheries. Eventually, large demands for food (including fish) led to modern Japanese overfishing practices. Another case of overfishing in the 1980s occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. Apparently in New Orleans, Louisiana a chef popularized a dish “blackened redfish” which utilized Sciaenops ocellatus (also red-drum and incorrectly redfish). S. ocellatus suddenly became high demand from this popular dish. So many of these fish were pulled out from the ocean state departments of Fish and Game passed codes which limited the size and number of S. ocellatus which could be harvested for commercial use. These codes normally enforce effective protection to fish, however the development of red-drums seriously flawed the system. These fish can have a life of over 50 years. Logically the population of long-lived animals decline rapidly with large-scale commercial harvesting as the rate of harvesting exceeds the rate of reproduction and development – they eventually would become “non-sustainable” resources. Unfortunately, even the new state, national, and international protection could not entirely protect the redfish. S. ocellatus develops very quickly – usually within 3 to 6 years. However, thereafter most development halts in its entirety. Because of that, teenaged redfish are almost indistinguishable from its elder generations. Present day aquaculture (the raising of marine creatures in farms, then releasing them back to the wild) in addition to wildlife protection is now an effective measure to protect the once-overfished species. Nonetheless, in other parts of the world, overfishing is still an outstanding issue.

My thesis will attempt to focus on Japanese overfishing – especially tuna (for sushi) as mentioned above. This issue however is not only limited to Japan. Other countries are also suffering scrutiny for overfishing – including China and South Korea. However their focus will most likely be limited – and as I gather more research, I may find it unnecessary to my thesis. Another interesting Japanese issue that has sparked my interest is the killing of dolphins. So instead of general overfishing as my topic, there may be a modified topic of the Japanese fishing industry. This will greatly depend on the volume and detail of my research on the topics. In any case, I will be interested in my findings regardless of the specific topic I choose.

The Art of War (I)

2010.05.07
To Whom It May Concern:

There are many books on how to solve life’s problems. There are classes people take. There are seminars people attend. And there are websites people read. However, there is but one text that I have read several times and still find new information on how to solve, avoid, or battle these problems in life – The Art of War.

Written over two thousand years ago by a Chinese warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu, The Art of War is still one of the most prestigious and versatile texts in the modern world. It not only is studied by military strategists, but by professionals in politics and executives of business. The translator writes:

[…] The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every
level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility,
victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding of the
physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.
[…]
As a classic of Taoist
thought, The Art of War is thus a book not only of war but also of peace, above
all a tool for understanding the very roots of conflict and resolution.

Sun Tzu’s original masterwork Sun-tzu ping-fa was written sometime around 500B.C; somewhere in his thirteen-chapter work lays the secrets to success. Thomas Cleary translated Sun Tzu’s work into The Art of War. The book is structured into two sections: the Translator’s Preface and Introduction and the actual The Art of War.

In the Translator’s Preface and Introduction, Cleary relates The Art of War to the Chinese philosophies of Taoism. It compares The Art of War with additional Taoist classical literature, such as The Way and Its Power (Tao-te Ching) and The Book of Balance and Harmony (Chung-ho chi).

In Sun Tzu’s world, war is a matter of life and death. However, he stresses one of his main philosophies – “To win without fighting is best.” Unlike the European views of battle, Sun Tzu does not promote battle front warfare. Instead, another highly-stressed concept suggests “avoid what is strong. Attack what is weak.” Fighting costs lives and money. For centuries, armies fought head-to-head to determine which army is stronger and more courageous. However, Sun-Tzu does not care about the glory – he only wants to win. He commends those commanders who can outwit rather than outfight his enemy.

A Brief History of Time (Final)

Prof. Stephen W. Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA authors A Brief History of Time: from the big bang to black holes – a popular-science book about cosmology. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that deals with the origin, structure, and space-time relationships of the universe. Hawking covers topics from the origins of our universe to space-time dimensions and black holes. This book covers a general scope of material and aimed for those interested in cosmology with minimal science background. Even though the mass-energy equivalence equation is the only mathematical equation in the entire book, a firm foundation and understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry and physics will help in advancing through the text at a faster and more comprehensible rate. Prof. Stephen Hawking writes A Brief History of Time with informal science vocabulary that can be understood to all. As my first Literature Circle book, A Brief History of Time provides a good start point to construct a reading foundation.

 

Author Prof. Stephen W. Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA was born on 1942 January 08 in Oxford, England. At the time (during World War II), it was safer to bear children in Oxford than in his parent’s house in north London (which was subject to frequent aerial bombings by the Germans). In 1950, at eight years of age, Stephen’s family moved to St. Albans – a small town in southern Hertfordshire, England. Approximately twenty miles (thirty five kilometers) from central London, Stephen attended St. Albans School. Admitted at University College, Oxford (the college his father graduated), Hawking wanted to study Mathematics. Unfortunately, University College, Oxford did not offer any Mathematics degrees, so he practiced Physics instead. His father would have preferred his son to study medicine, but after three years of “not very much work,” Stephen was awarded a first class honors degree in Natural Science.

 

Hawking continued his education at Cambridge to complete research in Cosmology; Oxford did not have a qualified Cosmologist working in that area. Once obtaining a Ph.D. Steven accepted a Research Fellow position at Gonville and Caius College. After more experience, the College offered Dr. Hawking a Professorial Fellowship to become Prof. Hawking. He eventually moved onto the Institute of Astronomy, in which he left at age 31 in 1973. With a section at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Hawking holds a post of Lucasian Professor since 1979 in the Mathematics field. This elite award was founded in 1663 by the Reverend Henry Lucas. The first Lucasian Professorship was held by Isaac Barrow. Several years later, Isaac Newton would be honored the professorship in 1669.

 

Prof. Steven Hawking works in the field of Theoretical Physics. It studies the mathematical models and abstractions of physics to explain phenomena that occur in the natural world. He uses the basic laws with govern the universe in his work in order to explain the complexities of space-time. In conjunction with Roger Penrose, Hawking proved that the General Theory of Relativity (first proposed by Swiss physicist Albert Einstein in the early 1900s) could be used to imply space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes.

 

One goal of physics is to be able to use a single theory and formula to explain all the naturally occurring phenomena in the world (which is the goal of the String Theory). Hawking needed to take the proof further and unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory. In an attempt to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory, Prof. Stephen accidently discovered that black holes were not completely black. In fact, they should emit radiation that eventually evaporate or disappear.

 

To date, the professor has twelve honorary degrees. He obtains international fame and receives hundreds of awards, medals, and prizes. To add Stephen is also a member of The United States National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1982 (age 40), Hawkins was awarded the CBE and made a Companion of Honor seven years later.

 

Prof. Stephen Hawking is not only famous solely for his advancements in Theoretical Physics, but for doing so in an extreme disability. At age 21, Hawking was referred to a specialist after noticing strange episodes of spontaneous “clumsiness.” After several dozen tests in the hospital (including x-rays to muscle samples), he was diagnosed with neuromuscular dystrophy (on which I composed a slideshow presentation for Biology class) due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly ALS). Initially, Hawking was unaware of his condition – he did not ask for specific results of his tests even after the diagnosis was confirmed. “I didn’t feel like asking for more details, because they were obviously bad.” (Of course, he eventually asked for his diagnosis and prognosis) With the realization that he was inflicted with an incurable disease, Hawking found more reason in life. “I was enjoying life in the present more than before.” Steven knew that there were people surrounding him with incurable diseases that were much worse than his (at the time).

 

Previously, he was slightly bored with his work and seemed uninterested. The doctors recommended Hawking to continue his study and research in General Relativity at Cambridge, and he was making more progress with his research. Dr. Hawking continues to laugh because he decided to study theoretical physics – one of the few areas of science that such a condition would not be a serious handicap.

 

While his scientific reputation increased with more discoveries, so did his disability. The neuromuscular dystrophy has resulted in paralysis throughout most of his entire body.

 

In 1985 (age 43), Prof. Hawking contracted pneumonia. The doctors needed to operate a tracheotomy – the surgical operation of cutting into the trachea (the system of tubes by which air passes to and from the lungs, extending down the front of the neck from the larynx/voice box). The operation removed his ability to speak altogether.

 

Prior to his pneumonia, the ALS started to affect his speech – giving a slur. Only colleagues, associates, family, and friends that were close to Hawking could decipher him. Nevertheless he was still able to communicate. Scientific papers were written by dictating to a secretary. Seminars were presented via an interpreter who simply repeated the professor with more intelligible English. For a short period of time, communication could be accomplished only by spelling out words, letter-by-letter, raising an eyebrow when the correct letter was pointed on a spelling card. An inefficient system that was difficult to converse, let alone to write a scientific paper.

 

Hope was almost lost until a Californian computer expert (Walt Woltosz) gave Dr. Stephen Hawking a computer program he designed (which Woltosz called Equalizer). This allowed Hawking to select words from menus and selecting words by pressing a switch with the hand. Naturally, because of the paralysis, another program was compiled to control the switch with head or eye movement. This could then be sent to a speech synthesizer to communicate. The whole system was mounted on a portable computer onto Hawking’s wheelchair. Now he still has limited communication (fifteen words per minute) to the surrounding world – writing dozens of science papers (on theoretical physics, of course) and several books.

 

“This (speech) synthesizer is by far the best I have heard, because it varies the intonation, and doesn’t speak like a Dalek. The only trouble is that it gives me an American accent.” –Prof. Stephen W. Hawking

A Brief History of Time (II)

2010.04.21

To Whom It May Concern:
Another week has passed. I should be completed with my book. The entire eleven chapters of A Brief History of Time: from the big bang to black holes need to be completed. From the last letter of 2010.04.14, I have completed minimal reading…again. I think this week I took a step backward compared to my previous progress. Then again, I did not have much time to read my book. It was a very busy weekend. And of course my weekday nights are hectic. Nevertheless – I still accomplished some reading.

In 340BCE ., Greek philosophers (namely Aristotle) started in depth studies of astronomy. Prior this time, most studies concerning the sky and space was astrology based. Now Greek philosophers started studying the round shape of the earth (and other heavenly bodies) and the patterns of their orbits. Although some predictions were incorrect, it was the first major step in understanding more about the universe in this scientific perspective.

By the second century C.E., the set of observations thus far were compiled into their complete cosmological model. The earth stands stationary in the center of the universe. Surrounding it orbit in circles that carry the moon, the sun, the stars, and the five known planets at the time: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. For some reason, ancient scientists think that for some reason –mystical, religious, or imaginative – that the earth was the center of the universe. The outer-most orbit consists of “fixed stars” – which always stay in the same position relative to each other but which rotate together across the sky as a whole. Beyond these fixed stars remained a mystery. It was by far beyond the observational power of the most advanced technology at the time.

However, Ptolemy (who added the final touches of that cosmologic model) recognized that the model was flawed. In order to predict the positions of the heavenly bodies correctly, it had to be assumed that the moon followed a circular orbit while somehow bringing it twice as close to the earth as at other times. Therefore, the moon technically could not form a circular orbit for his calculations. On top of that, the moon ought to have appeared twice as large as it did other times.

Albeit flawed, this model was adopted by the Christian church as the structure of the universe – as it was in accordance with the writings. The outer “fixed stars” sphere also allowed room for the Christian church to fix ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’.

For the most part, this flawed model was accepted. In 1514, Polish priest Nicholas Copernicus suggested that the sun was stationary and the center of the universe. Consequently, the earth and the planets moved in circular orbits around the sun and the moons (or other smaller bodies) can orbit other planets. This theory accounts for the fact that the visible moons of Jupiter did not regularly orbit the earth, but orbited in an irregular (and somehow complicated) patter around the sun.

In sum, what does that tell me? Regardless of how many times a theory is proposed, it is still possible that it requires modification or discarding altogether. We can only assume what are the patterns and forces of nature, and even after numerous years of observation, there is still more to discover about our universe.