Theorists of War
Theorists of War.All warfare requires thought. Even the most primitive battle demands mental preparation, and it is not possible to control armed forces of any size without preconceived methods of organization and action. It is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to distinguish categorically between this kind of instrumental thinking and military theory more strictly understood, as a systematic attempt to link or subordinate the conduct of war to abstract analytic concepts or to broader social, political, or geographic relationships of which war is but a part. Such theorizing may aim at practical knowledge of how war can be conducted or averted, in which case its concerns may approach those of the strategist or military planner. Or, a theorist of war may simply seek understanding for its own sake. Yet these are not mutually exclusive impulses, and both are evident in varying degrees in the work of most serious students of war.
Until the end of the...
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