In TCS Daily, I ran into this post about Iraq's "Natural State." This led me to this longer article by North, Wallace, and Weingast (referred to as NWW from here on) on their theory about the natural development of civilization from a limited-access state (elite controlled) to open-access (free) societies. In this second article, NWW propose that a limited-access state can only change into a free society under certain conditions. These conditions come down to the elites, in their own self-interest, creating the basis for freedom because of the requirements of industrialization of the 18th and 19th centuruies. The problem with NWW's theory is it mistates the historical basis for human freedom in civilized countries, which goes back much further in time, even before Sun Tzu's period. In the following post, I offer a less myopic view of the "natural state" and the role of freedom. If you want to preserve your freedom, you should correctly understand history. You will find that your freedom itself is very closely connected to the emergence of Sun Tzu's strategy.

Strategy teaches that all wars are essentially battles between philosophies. Most of these philosophies are very short lived, but I really like this 90 second animation of the growth of the great religions over the last 5,000 years. This animation leaves out the lesser religions that have come and gone as temporary flares that bloom and die. Adding these lesser religions would illustrate how even ideas that become very popular can die, sometimes very quickly.