4. Sun Tzu
Although historians are not completely sure about Sun Tzu’s life, it is accepted he was an accomplished military general, strategist and philosopher during the 5th and 4th century BC in China. Sun Tzu (Master Sun), also called Sun Wu, is credited as the author of The Art of War. A widely influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and Eastern philosophy.
Sun Tzu served under the King of Wu and allowed the king’s troops to challenge the western kingdom of Chu. It is said the king told Sun Tzu to prove his expertise by turning his harem into a well-trained force. Sun Tzu divided the concubines into two groups and picked the favorites of the King to each lead a division. When Sun Tzo presented the troops he noticed that they were sloppy and not taking the drills seriously. So he ordered the two leaders of the concubines to be killed. After that, the concubines took their drills seriously knowing the penalty for failure.
Although much is not known about him besides his successes, he left an important 13-chapter book on military theory, tactics, and philosophy which influenced Eastern and Western military thinking. It is still studied today in East Asia (as it was for more than a millennium) and is required by some business schools. The book has basic principles of warfare, and each chapter covers one aspect of it: espionage, specific battle strategies, logistics, etc., which are permeated with philosophical thinking such as “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting”.
Unlike emphasis on force or strength, the book stresses psychological and stealth warfare, with a focus on terrain, weather and knowing the enemy and one itself. The book also recommends divide and conquer, avoid battles, use enemy tactics against itself, and surprise attacks. People influenced by the book include Mao Zedong, Douglas MacArthur, Napoleon, and Henry Kissinger.