Hi!

I found this quote while researching for an essay on Sir B.H. Liddell Hart.

Sir Basil H. Liddell Hart said:

“There are two thousand years of experience to tell us that the only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old idea out”

It came from his book 'Thoughts on War'. I apologize if this has already been listed.

Sandi

Originally Posted by sandiclark49

Hi!

I found this quote while researching for an essay on Sir B.H. Liddell Hart.

Sir Basil H. Liddell Hart said:

“There are two thousand years of experience to tell us that the only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old idea out”

It came from his book 'Thoughts on War'. I apologize if this has already been listed.

Sandi

Yep, the military is quite conservative and it makes them quite predictable. There is a danger to fight the previous war and not the new one.

Originally Posted by sandiclark49

Hi!

I found this quote while researching for an essay on Sir B.H. Liddell Hart.

Sir Basil H. Liddell Hart said:

“There are two thousand years of experience to tell us that the only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old idea out”

It came from his book 'Thoughts on War'. I apologize if this has already been listed.

Sandi

The quote is correct, but coming from Liddell Hart.....

Originally Posted by lljadw

The quote is correct, but coming from Liddell Hart.....

And? What point are you trying to make? If there is a point of course.

Originally Posted by I3BrigPvSk

Yep, the military is quite conservative and it makes them quite predictable. There is a danger to fight the previous war and not the new one.

Doulas Haig used the same tactics during WW1 as he used in the Anglo Boer War, getting thousands of men killed.

He was told to change is tactics as Britain was running out of men.

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

And? What point are you trying to make? If there is a point of course.

Liddell Hart is not a good source, better : he is a very bad source .

Liddell Hart was a military theorist and he was proponing the indirect approach instead of the Clausewitzian direct approach. Liddell Hart was also arguing for the mechanized warfare and having a strong air force. Liddell Hart was influenced by Sun Tzu and his ideas about finding the enemy's weakness rather than attacking him where he is strong.

Originally Posted by I3BrigPvSk

Liddell Hart was a military theorist and he was proponing the indirect approach instead of the Clausewitzian direct approach. Liddell Hart was also arguing for the mechanized warfare and having a strong air force. Liddell Hart was influenced by Sun Tzu and his ideas about finding the enemy's weakness rather than attacking him where he is strong.

To be fair pretty much everyone is influenced by Sun Tzu as he paints with a fairly wide brush.

Originally Posted by MontyB

To be fair pretty much everyone is influenced by Sun Tzu as he paints with a fairly wide brush.

Military theorist during the 18th and 19th century weren't when they didn't know who Sun Tzu was. The Art of War wasn't translated to English until the early 20th century. The majority of the military theorist began to rethink warfare after the Great War and during this process, they found Sun Tzu. Liddell Hart was a veteran of the Great War and he was very critical toward the military doctrine based upon Clausewitz theories of war.

Sun Tzu's theories aren't specific, but they have common sense. Some Russian commanders used similar theories during Napoleon's campaign in Russia. The Russian commanders probably didn't know about Sun Tzu, but they figured out similar theories by using common sense.

Originally Posted by I3BrigPvSk

Military theorist during the 18th and 19th century weren't when they didn't know who Sun Tzu was. The Art of War wasn't translated to English until the early 20th century. The majority of the military theorist began to rethink warfare after the Great War and during this process, they found Sun Tzu. Liddell Hart was a veteran of the Great War and he was very critical toward the military doctrine based upon Clausewitz theories of war.

Sun Tzu's theories aren't specific, but they have common sense. Some Russian commanders used similar theories during Napoleon's campaign in Russia. The Russian commanders probably didn't know about Sun Tzu, but they figured out similar theories by using common sense.

This is my point they are common sense ideas that were used well before Sun Tzu and by leaders long after Sun Tzu who had no access to his writings.
I have the same argument with people who insist that our laws are based on the 10 commandments yet empires as far back as the Assyrians and probably further used almost identical laws as they make sense once people started living in and forming communities.

Let's be honest Sun Tzu's Art of War is less than 80 pages, I doubt he covered the topic in depth.