ore must generally be
left to talent; and less use can be made of a THEORETICAL GUIDE than in
any other.

24. THIRD PECULIARITY.--UNCERTAINTY OF ALL DATA.

Lastly, the great uncertainty of all data in War is a peculiar
difficulty, because all action must, to a certain extent, be planned in
a mere twilight, which in addition not unfrequently--like the effect
of a fog or moonshine--gives to things exaggerated dimensions and an
unnatural appearance.

What this feeble light leaves indistinct to the sight talent must
discover, or must be left to chance. It is therefore again talent, or
the favour of fortune, on which reliance must be placed, for want of
objective knowledge.

25. POSITIVE THEORY IS IMPOSSIBLE.

With materials of this kind we can only say to ourselves that it is a
sheer impossibility to construct for the Art of War a theory which, like
a scaffolding, shall ensure to the chief actor an external support on
all sides. In all those cases in which he is thrown upon his talent
he would find himself away from this scaffolding of theory and in
opposition to it, and, however many-sided it might be framed, the same
result would ensue of which we spoke when we said that talent and genius
act beyond the law, and theory is in opposition to reality.

26. MEANS LEFT BY WHICH A THEORY IS POSSIBLE (THE DIFFICULTIES ARE NOT
EVERYWHERE EQUALLY GREAT).

Two means present themselves of getting out of this difficulty. In
the first place, what we have said of the nature of military action in
general does not apply in the same manner to the action of every
one, whatever may be his standing. In the lower ranks the spirit of
self-sacrifice is called more into request, but the difficulties which
the understanding and judgment meet with are infinitely less. The field
of occurrences is more confined. Ends and means are fewer in number.
Data more distinct; mostly also contained in the actually visible. But
the higher we ascend the more the difficulties increase, until in the
Commander-in-Chief they reach their climax, so that with him almost
everything must be left to genius.

Further, according to a division of the subject in AGREEMENT WITH ITS
NATURE, the difficulties are not everywhere the same, but diminish the
more results manifest themselves in the material world, and increase the
more they pass into the moral, and become motives which influence the
will. Therefore it is easier to determine, by theoretical rules, the