Philosophy; The art of war (Sunzi Bingfa)

Philosophy; The art of war (Sunzi Bingfa)
Part 1: Pick one passage of text from the translation of the Sunzi bingfa (a book you can find online) we used for class in which a philosophically interesting claim is put forward by the author of the text. Quote the passage directly, indicating clearly all relevant information that is needed for the citation (including the chapter number, the translator, the specific page number from our text, and all the other bibliographic information that would be expected in and appropriate for an academic paper of this sort). Do not pick a passage from

the translator’s introduction to the text; instead, be sure to pick a passage from the translation of the actual text of the Sunzi bingfa. Also, do not pick a passage from Chapter 1 of the Sunzi bingfa or from one of the passages that was discussed by any of the groups in our class. Explain clearly and in your own words exactly what is meant by this particular passage and how it fits into the overall project of the Sunzi bingfa text. If there are technical terms used in the passage or if the passage requires interpretation to be understood by an intelligent but non-specialist reader, define those technical terms and provide the interpretation for the reader. Provide at least one original example of your own to illustrate what is meant by the passage you have chosen to discuss. By the end of your discussion in this portion of your paper, you should state clearly, in your own words, and in a single, well-formed declarative sentence exactly what philosophically interesting claim is being put forth by the passage of text you have chosen.

Part 2: EITHER reconstruct in your own words the main argument or reasoning the author of the Sunzi bingfa uses to defend the truth of claim you are considering OR provide an original argument of your own defending the truth of the author’s claim. (Make it clear to your reader whether you are reconstructing reasoning that is in the text or providing your own argument for the truth of the author’s claim.) Clearly define any technical terms and explain any premises or philosophical moves that would not be understood by an intelligent reader who has not read the text in question and is unfamiliar with the philosophical literature we have read and discussed in class.

Part 3: Raise the strongest possible objection to the claim and/or the argument/reasoning you present to defend it. Explain in detail and at some length how the objection is supposed to show that the

character’s claim is false. Use specific, concrete examples and original argumentation to explain and motivate the objection.

Part 4: How exactly should the author (or another sympathetic defender of the author’s original claim) respond to the objection? Explain in detail and at some length.

Part 5: In light of your discussion, answer the following question: Is the original claim true? Answer clearly “yes” or “no.” Why or why not? Prove that your position is correct. (This will presumably require a considerable amount of discussion on your part.)

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