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The Annotated Art of War (Parts 13.4-6: Foreknowledge)

Disciplines > Warfare > The Annotated Art of War > Parts 13.4-6: Foreknowledge

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XIII. The Use of Spies

Sun Tzu said:	Commentary
4. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.	Knowledge is at the heart of all good decisions. Foreknowledge is knowing of future events. When this is not fully feasible, you can learn to forecast useful things such as the weather and the likely behaviors of opponents. What you should seek most of all is their very real strengths, deployment and plans. When you have real intelligence, this always beats vague guesswork.
5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.	You can be bold and brash and have as much gut-feel as you like but if you do not base your decisions on sound data you are simply gambling. Even reasoning, if it is based on bad knowledge, will be fruitless. 'Garbage in, garbage out', as they say.
6. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.	The enemy does not want you to know anything about them, just as you will jealously guard your own information and plans. If you cannot get the knowledge by fair means, it must be gained by subterfuge, including the employment of spies and double agents.

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| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

Please help and share:

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Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

– About
– Guest Articles
– Blog!
– Books
– Changes
– Contact
– Guestbook
– Quotes
– Students
– Webmasters

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

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