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Passage the Name "Sun Tzu" Is Readily Recognized by Scholars and and Non-Scholars

Question 160

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Passage
The name "Sun Tzu" is readily recognized by scholars and non-scholars alike; as the author of The Art of War, he is identifiable even to those who have never studied Chinese history or military strategy.  Much less familiar to the layman is his descendant Sun Bin, who one and a half centuries later (circa 350 BCE) extended the discussion of battlefield tactics with his own insights.  Although some deem Sun Bin's thinking to lack the philosophical depth displayed by his predecessor, the two strategists in fact bear many similarities, and we should not be overhasty in our evaluation of Sun Bin's contribution.An instructive example can be found in a historical record of his advice to another commander concerning a horse race: Sun Bin then said to Tian Ji, "You just go ahead and make a large wager; I will see to it that you win."…Just as the contest was to begin, Sun Bin counseled Tian Ji, "Pit your third-best team against their finest, your finest against their second-best, and your second best against their third."  When all three horse races were finished, though Tian Ji had lost the first race, his horses prevailed in the next two, in the end winning a thousand pieces of the king's gold.It would be easy to dismiss this episode as a demonstration merely of cunning or desire for personal gain.  However, Sun Bin's tactic essentially aligns with Sun Tzu's famous maxim: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."  Nothing had changed about the horses, but Sun Bin arranged their deployment in a way that ensured an overall victory.  Hence, the story is not out of place in a context of military tactics because it illustrates the adaptation of circumstance to one's advantage.Similarly, while The Art of War remains of interest to the modern military mind, its study is even more often applied to non-martial contexts, such as commerce, politics, or simply how to live.  In one chapter, Sun Tzu gives the instruction to "throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.  If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve."  The military application is obvious, but the underlying idea extends much further: when one cannot give up, there is no choice but to strive for victory with full abandon.  The question then becomes whether one can play both general and soldier, throwing oneself into the inescapable position that must be confronted.Sun Bin refers to the success or failure of an army when saying: "If you take a road that goes nowhere, even Heaven and earth cannot make you prosper; if you take the right road, even Heaven and earth cannot waylay you."  Nevertheless, his words apply far beyond a military perspective.  By situating warfare within "the pattern of the heavens and the earth," Sun Bin conceives it as a microcosm of a larger and more abstract natural harmony.  To act in accordance with this harmony is to secure victory; to fail to do so is to ensure defeat.  Consequently, success in battle is achieved in the same way as success in any endeavor; as with the horse race, one must adapt to the natural propensities of a situation.  Ultimately, Sun Bin provides a compelling picture of battlefield tactics and strategy.  As with Sun Tzu's more famous insights, however, the true depth and value of Sun Bin's thinking lie in its broader scope and application.
-Which of the following individuals would constitute the best example of someone playing "both general and soldier," as described in the passage?


A) A reckless driver who attends traffic school to avoid having his driver's license suspended
B) A struggling employee who works furiously to meet sales quotas to keep from being fired
C) An overweight man who throws away unhealthy food to make himself stick to a clinically prescribed diet
D) A poor student who spends all her money moving to a new city to pursue her dream of acting

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