A great bookOctober 18, 2007 This is an inspirative book. Written by ancient chinesse philosopher during spring and autumn period but his theme is still relevant for our daily life.
quality bookJanuary 11, 2007 This is a great version of Sun Tzu's Art of War. The key items I wanted in this text were a quality translation of Sun Tzu's work in a hard bound book. This offering provides both. There are tons of versions of this work out there, so take a little time and search what's available. Everyone has a slightly different take on what they are looking for and because of the huge amount of offerings you can probably find a translation that matches what you are seeking.
Misleading and DemeaningDecember 2, 2006 8 out of 12 found this review helpful
According to Professor Ames, "From the perspective of the more rationalistic Western world view, the penalty the Chinese must pay for the absence of that underlying metaphysical infrastructure necessary to guarantee a single-order universe is what we take to be intelligibility and predictibility." (introduction, p.54) Considering that language depends on intelligibility and predictibility for its communicative function, one might wonder how Professor Ames then proposes to interpret and translate Chinese at all. On examination, as might be expected from such an attitude, he does indeed make illogical misreadings of the text. These misinterpretations do reveal deficiencies, not in Chinese reasoning, but in the professor's own understanding of the nature of language, linguistics, and semantics in general; of literary Chinese grammar and vocabulary in particular; and of underlying principles and practical procedures of military science. This, moreover, in spite of the fact that Sun Tzu's work is not really difficult and has already been translated into English many times. Also, a comparison of East and West relevant to military science would logically treat the works of such Western writers on war as Machiavelli and Clausewitz. Military science is based on physical principles and psychological dynamics, not on metaphysical musings. The only use of metaphysics in war is in the context of psychological operations, that is on the cultural front of warfare, when a claim to exclusive possession of abstract truth is used tactically to incite violence by inflaming overbearing self-righteousness and antagonism toward others. Professor Ame's unsubstantiated generalizations about Chinese and Western thought do nothing to advance an objective understanding of either, much less of Sun Tzu's work, but rather serve to project a demeaning image of China.
Sun-Tzu: The Art of War (Classics of Ancient China)March 16, 2006 This is an excellent translation of the various known texts including some of the more recent archaeological finds. Ames' preface also provides a valuable context for the writings - historical, cultural and philosophical. His insights into the Chinese culture, both past and present, prepares the reader well for the subsequent translations. The distinctions between western modes of thought, with their deep divisions between the physical and spiritual, are contrasted with the Chinese philosophy of continuous change within all extant things. For them there is no dichotomy - everything is defined by their roles and the ability to understand reality and truth as it is. Also, while I cannot read Chinese, it was cool to have the original writings provided for all the translations. Even if you've read the translations before, this book provides an excellent update to a literary/philosophical classic.
Sun-Tzu: The Art of War, edited by Roger T. AmesSeptember 29, 2005 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the translated version that also includes the original Chinese text. Hence for the reader who can read traditional classic Chinese, one can truly appreciate what Sun-Tzu had achieved. His work is a masterpiece of scholarly literature as well as a demonstration of his military geniusness and insight. Another benefit of having the original text side by side is that there are still nuiances missed by the standard translating due to the multiple meanings of some Chinese words and the varied use of custom slangs.
