5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.

先知者不可取於鬼神不可象於事不可驗於度

Sun Tzu

Foreknowledge cannot be obtained through spiritual means, through experience, or through deductive reasoning. Instead, Sun Tzu advises seeking out and gathering information about one’s enemy and the environment in which the conflict is taking place in order to gain a strategic advantage.

In business, foreknowledge cannot be gained through intuition, experience, or logical reasoning.

Business leaders cannot rely solely on their intuition, experience, and logical reasoning to gain foreknowledge because these things alone are not enough to provide a complete and accurate understanding of the situation. Intuition is subjective and can be influenced by biases and personal beliefs. Experience, while valuable, is limited to the specific situations and contexts in which it was gained, and may not be relevant or applicable to new challenges and opportunities. Logical reasoning, while useful for analyzing and interpreting information, can be limited by the quality and completeness of the data and assumptions being used.

To gain a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the situation, business leaders must get foreknowledge from outside sources. These sources can include gathering information from competitors’ previous employees and suppliers, as well as other sources such as market research, customer feedback, industry experts and advisors, and government and regulatory bodies. By gathering a diverse range of data and insights from multiple sources, business leaders can build a more complete and accurate understanding of the situation and make informed decisions.

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