for his thoughts of warfare.The title of Sun Tzu’s book “The Art of War” is in itself an understanding of opposites. Rather than seeing it only as an attack and conquer theory, it becomes an art to him. When fighting, there is the need to understand what the enemy is doing, and react accordingly. It can be argued that the Tao does not encourage fighting, and that there should be peace and harmony, however, in Lao Tzu there is a passage that says that “the Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil”11. Rather than deny the existence of war, one accepts the Tao, and understands that there can be success with its assistance, can be lead to triumph. Sun Tzu’s theory on the conduct of armed conflict states that: Military operations must entail unconventional means. Therefore, have a capability, but appear not to; make use, but appear not to; be near but appear far, or be far but appear near; show gains to lure them; show disorder to make them take a chance; where superior, set protections against them; when strong, avoid them; if of high morale, depress them; seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them12.Sun Tzu uses a theory of opposites in his methods of attack. Rather than going by standard strategies, there is something valuable to the concept of using the opposing force of what is to be expected. Having the being, but using the non-being, in a sense. He also understood the necessity of using Nature to his advantage. That there are “cyclic natural occurrences [which] include yin and yang, cold and heat, and the seasons and lunar periods”13. In this very instance he uses the theory of yin and yang as points of relevance for success. It is important to understand the natural parts of the universe, and to use them to an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The cyclic part of nature is a primary component of ...
