Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Its Rules for Winning without Conflict

Eight rules defining competitive strategy in terms of developing relatively superior positions.

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This article explains the interactions of the objects that we call competitive positions, which are the basis of Sun Tzu's system. Like molecules or atomic particles, positions have various characteristics. We can analyze and compare strategic positions and discuss how they "work" because we understand these general characteristics. While all positions may be a unique combination of characteristics, the characteristics themselves are not unique. Like all molecules consist of elemental atoms, all positions consist of elements that we can instantly recognize and evaluate. We can make decisions about the relative value and strength of various positions on the basis of these elements.