Episode · Dwarkesh Podcast · 2025-01-23
Books mentioned on Sarah Paine — Why Japan lost WWII (lecture & interview)
This is the second episode in the trilogy of a lectures by Professor Sarah Paine of the Naval War College. In this second episode, Prof Paine dissects the ideas and economics behind Japanese imperialism before and during WWII.
Sarah Paine discussed The Art of War by Sun Tzu, On War by Carl von Clausewitz, Code of the Samurai by Thomas Cleary, Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe, and The Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and others. Dwarkesh Patel discussed The Prize by Daniel Yergin.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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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“So the Japanese don't have just the one book like Sununza's the art of war or Clausowitz's on war. What they have is Bushido Code of the Samurai.”
Where to get it
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On War
On War by Carl von Clausewitz is a foundational treatise on military strategy, political theory, and the nature of armed conflict, written by the Prussian general following the Napoleonic Wars.
Discussed“So the Japanese don't have just the one book like Sununza's the art of war or Clausowitz's on war. What they have is Bushido Code of the Samurai.”
Where to get it
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Code of the Samurai
Discussed“What they have is Bushido Code of the Samurai. It's a whole literature and it was written in the Tokagawa period which quite ironically was a period known for peace not warfare never mind.”
Where to get it
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Bushido, the Soul of Japan
Discussed“And I'm going to use as my cultural bridge this man Nito Inazo who wrote a book much later in 1900 Bushido's soul of Japan. Why am I doing this? He provides a concise definition of Bushido.”
Where to get it
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The Hagakure
The Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and D.
Discussed“Here's my first piece of the Tokagawa literature. Yamamotosmo's the Hagaur that he wrote in the early 18th century. It translates variously as hidden leaves, hidden by the leaves.”
Where to get it
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The Prize
The Prize by Daniel Yergin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical account exploring the central role that energy, particularly oil, has played in global power, geopolitics, and international conflict for over a century.
Discussed“I had Daniel Jorgen who wrote the prize which is the Pulitzer Prize winning history of oil and he has a big section in the book about World War II because in his view oil was a big component of why the war happened the way it did.”
Where to get it
