this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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History Memes

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[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That is neat, I didn’t know any of this

Reminds me of Sun Tsuz’s concept of “taking whole”. 

It’s a lot easier to rule over people if they find you fair and accommodating. But to destroy and rebuild is slow and expensive, and fighting insurgencies is incredibly difficult. 

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Sun Tsu :

It’s a lot easier to rule over people if they find you fair and accommodating.

Europeans :

I'm going to divide and conquoer, and rule with an iron fist.

[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

tbf, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Sun Tzu also emphasized the power of discipline - up to and including executions to provide examples. By the same line, the Romans, with whom divide et impera ('divide and rule') is associated, were radical in that they regarded the Res Publica as for the good of all people under its power, not just the privileged elite or just the citizens, or even just the members of the polity's preferred ethnicities.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

"Public Matter", what the Romans called their government, sometimes translated (when not translated simply as 'Republic') as "Commonwealth"

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

thank you as always for your depth of knowledge and desire to share it with us.

I enjoyed reading your original explaination, but couldn't avoid making the stupid spanish reference of Res = beef.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

That worked for a time, sure. 

But long term the amount of problems it’s created and the costs to humanity are immeasurable.