From edgelords to dictators… Why does everyone still love ‘The Art Of War’?

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This ancient Chinese military treatise by the mysterious Sun Tzu is one of the most influential books ever written. Internet shock-merchants and tech oligarchs swear by it, Dominic Cummings is a fan and it has inspired military leaders for 2,500 years. Why has ‘The Art Of War’ lasted – and is there more to it than a manual for the manosphere and a crib-sheet for vendors of management studies snake oil? Jamie Q Roberts is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Sydney (and he also runs Wollemi Art Farm in the Australian Bush). He talks to Andrew Harrison about ‘The Art Of War’s relevance today, its surprising spiritual dimension, and whether Trump is an unwitting apostle of Sun Tzu. • Read Jamie’s further exploration of ‘The Art Of War’ on The Conversation. • Why should the bad guys benefit from all the good advice? Buy ‘The Art Of War’ through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Simon Williams. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This edition of The Bunker is sponsored by Naked Wines. I'm Seth Tevall.
0:04.8	And I'm Zoe Grunewold.
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1:51.2	Hello, I'm going to. Hello and welcome back to The Bunker, separating the news from the nonsense every morning.
1:52.1	I'm Andrew Harrison.
1:54.9	Today, The Art of War.
1:59.4	It's one of the most influential books ever written, an ancient Chinese military treatise's admired and beloved by soldiers, business
2:01.9	people, politicians, management gurus, and online edge loads alike.
2:06.8	Written in the 5th century BC and attributed to a military strategist called Sun Tzu, although
2:11.7	it may be a composite work and Sun Tzu himself may never have existed, this very concise
2:16.2	book details the various skills and factors
	...

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