Episode · Dwarkesh Podcast · 2023-10-04
Books mentioned on Sarah C. M. Paine — Why dictators keep making the same fatal mistake
I learned so much from Sarah Paine, Professor of History and Strategy at the Naval War College.
Sarah C. M. Paine discussed Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Dwarkesh Patel discussed How Asia Works by Joe Studwell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is an autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler that outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany.
Discussed“I think the problem with your question is that it’s just not who Hitler was. He wrote in Mein Kampf exactly what he wanted to do and that what you're describing is not what he's about.”
Where to get it
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The Art of War
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient military treatise offering timeless strategic principles on leadership, outmaneuvering adversaries, and conflict resolution.
Discussed“A useful concept comes from the Samuel Griffith' translation of Sun Tzu, which talks about death ground. What's death ground? It's when your enemy puts you on death ground, which means they're going to kill you”
Where to get it
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How Asia Works
How Asia Works by Joe Studwell is a prominent economic study that analyzes the developmental trajectories of East Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Discussed“There's a book, How Asia Works, by this economist Joseph Studwell, where he is trying to analyze why Korea, Taiwan and Japan did so well after World War II. In the case of Korea, he tells a story”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“A previous guest, Richard Rhodes, who wrote the Making of the Atomic Bomb, talked about how after the war, the different branches of the military were competing with each other”
“You talk about this in your books about the Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow. And also Jack Reed's Ten Days.”
“And also Jack Reed's Ten Days. George Bernard Shaw made a comment that if you haven't been a socialist before the age of 30, you have no heart”