The Way of Water

Daodejing

Zhuangzi

The Art of War

On Guerrilla Warfare

Completing Distinctions

The Tao of Strategy
David R. Cross, Ph.D.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." Robert Frost

"We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future." Gregory Bateson

This is the website for the "Fort Worth" version of The Tao of Strategy, a course synthesizing Eastern and Western perspectives on strategy as it pertains to several domains, including business, politics, psychology, and the military. The purpose of the course is to reveal the deep structure of strategic action, and to show how this deep structure manifests itself in most realms of personal and professional striving. You may also want to visit the webpage for the TCU-in-Scotland version of this course.

Course Requirements

  • The course meets once each week, on Thursday afternoons from 3:30 to 6:00; each week students will receive a quiz/participation grade worth 10 points; each quiz is based on material covered in preceding weeks; there are 150 total points possible for quizzes and participation.
  • There will be a comprehensive final exam worth 50 points.
  • In addition to the quiz/participation grades and the final exam, students are required to write two papers; each paper should be 8–10 pages (2,000–2,500 words), and written on a topic approved by the instructor; each paper is worth 50 points; there are 100 total points possible for papers.
    • If you don't have a copy of The Elements of Style, I recommend you get a copy, or something similar.
    • Papers are due by the final exam, but may be rewritten for a better grade if turned in early.
    • Follow this link to see a list of paper topics and suggested readings.
  • The grading scale is constructed in 10% increments based upon 300 total points; 270 points are required for an A, 240 points for a B, 210 points for a C, and so on.

Textbooks

There are five textbooks required for the course. Note that for the translated works—Bingfa and Daodejing—you must purchase the translations listed here (Minford, 2002; Ames and Hall, 2003). You should bring all five texts to class for every class period; we will use them like workbooks.

  • Allan, S. (1997). The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
  • Ames, R. T., & Hall, D. L. (2003). Daodejing "Making This Life Significant"—A Philosophical Translation. New York: Ballantine Books.
  • Watson, B. (2003). Zhuangzi: Basic Writings New York: Columbia University Press. [Recommended]
  • Minford, J. (2002). Sun-tzu: The Art of War. New York: Penguin Books.
  • Griffith, S. B. (2002). Mao Tse-tung: On Guerrilla Warfare. University of Illinois Press: Champagne, IL.
  • Flemons, D. (1991). Completing Distinctions: Interweaving the ideas of Gregory Bateson and Taoism into a unique approach to therapy. Boston: Shambhala.

Course Schedule

There are five parts to the course, each approximately three weeks long. For each part you will find (a) a study guide, (b) a primary text, (c) associated readings (listed in the study guide), and (d) resources on the web. Each class (except the first) will begin with a quiz (no make-ups), and the remainder of class time will be spent in lecture, discussion, Taijiquan, and Chinese calligraphy.

Part 1: The Way of Water

Part 2: The Laozi Daodejing

Part 3: The Sunzi Bingfa

Part 4: On Guerrilla Warfare

Part 5: Completing Distinctions

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