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The article doesn't touch on this, but Sun Tzu famously wrote about the importance of spycraft in his The Art of War. It actually completely changed my outlook
by dvt 4y ago
The article doesn't touch on this, but Sun Tzu famously wrote about the importance of spycraft in his The Art of War. It actually completely changed my outlook on what it's like to truly go at war (from a macro standpoint). The salient advantage often lies not by knowing what's on the battlefield, but rather what's behind enemy lines. Being able to sow dissent, for example, can be way more of a force multiplier than outnumbering the opponent on the field. And, in this regard, Chess (where number of pieces is vitally relevant) is absolutely nothing like war.
- Ntrails 4y ago> Being able to sow dissent, for example, can be way more of a force multiplier than outnumbering the opponent on the field. Not even just dissent, eg despair used to generate an advantage in morale can be incredibly powerful. Alternatively misinformation can push you towards bad tactical decisions.
- kjellsbells 4y agoIn the same vein: in chess, all your forces are present, and have all they need. So it's more like a skirmish than a war. In particular, wars can be won or lost not only by intellectual disruptions behind the lines, like drops in morale due to propaganda, but also because of supply line issues. Brett Devereaux's ACOUP blog has a great write up on this re the Romans and the "tyranny of the wagon equation"