July '22 Edition

Cropped and pasted onto the first page of my journal, from my prized “Truth” edition of the New Philosopher magazine, the quote reads: “Although to use deception in any action is detestable, nevertheless in waging war it is praiseworthy and brings fame: he who conquers the enemy by deception is praised as much as he who conquers them by force.”

It is without a doubt that most of my audience here, or at least I assume, have heard of or have come across the name Machiavelli. It’s even an adjective: Machiavellian (adj.)- devious; cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics. The quote above originated from Machiavelli’s Discourses on Livy, a history of early Rome.

Wherever your thoughts may stand towards him or his most famous work, The Prince (I’ll leave this discussion for another post), the history of deception remains unfeigned.

From Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ to Machiavelli’s works, examples range from the Greeks’ Trojan horse to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In other words, deception has been a part of warfare since the dawn of history.

So, what is the importance of deception in war? Except for the Machiavellian misquote, a famous maxim of unknown origins, “Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception” Sun Tzu also wrote, “All warfare is based on deception.” (Book 1, 18).

On the importance of deception in war, Niklas Ålund writes in a SAAD Article titled ‘The importance of deception in modern conflicts’: [Deceiving the enemy has been a crucial part of successful military campaigns since the earliest days of human combat. Being able to divert an opponent's attention – to make them overlook potential threats – provides armed forces with an invaluable strategic advantage.]

Whatever the verdict on the practice of deception, it has undoubtedly transformed into an art form over the millennia since the fall of Troy- one to be studied, practised and applied as the scene evolves.

More the reason to secure a copy of The Iliad and the Odyssey.