[Ads-l] Clausewitz Quote

[Joel Berson]

"Policy" today is perhaps a word with too many other connotations.  I think the OED is helpful on 1.a being obsolete and 4 being "now the usual sense":

I. Senses related to public or politic practice. 


1. †a. The art, study, or practice of government or administration; the conduct of public affairs; political science. Obs.

versus:

4. A principle or course of action adopted or proposed as desirable, advantageous, or expedient; esp. one formally advocated by a government, political party, etc. Also as a mass noun: method of acting on matters of principle, settled practice. (Now the usual sense.)

      From: Joe Salmons <jsalmons at WISC.EDU>
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 3:50 PM
 Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Clausewitz Quote
   
Well, the key is probably the policy/politics thing and the broader context was what we needed there. 

> On Jan 22, 2017, at 2:48 PM, Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM> wrote:
> 
> On 1/22/17 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
>> Date:    Sat, 21 Jan 2017 22:24:44 +0000
>> From:    Joe Salmons<jsalmons at WISC.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: Clausewitz Quote
>> 
>> That’s how I know it, in both languages. A closer translation would be something like “war is nothing other than the continuation of politics by other means.”
> Not that Herr Doktor Professor Salmons needs any concurrence, but, yes, I prefer this translation over yours, Fred, because of the use of the "other" and "by": your use of "with" is too literal.
> 
> Amy West (Queen of Too Literal German Translations)
>>> On Jan 21, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Shapiro, Fred<fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I am having trouble with a very famous quotation and am hoping that some military historians or persons knowledgeable about the German language (or, ideally, military historians who are knowledgeable about the German language) can help me.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> In the Yale Book of Quotations I have the following:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Der Krieg ist nichts anderes als die Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln.
>>> 
>>> War is the continuation of politics by other means.
>>> 
>>> Karl von Clausewitz, On War bk. 8, ch. 6 (1832-1834)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> My first question is, is this particular sentence the best-known version of this thought by Clausewitz (I believe he stated it more than once in his writings)? or is there another better-known version?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> My second question is, is this the most accurate translation? if there is another passage that is the best-known version, what is the most accurate translation of that?  I suspect a better translation of my version above is "War is nothing but the continuation of politics with other means."
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Fred Shapiro
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ________________________________
>>> 
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> 
> 
> 
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