Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness

265 Pages·2010·4.74 MB·English

by  Graham Priest, Damon A. Young

Table of Contents

Popular Culture and Philosophy
Title Page
Fighting Talk

Enter the Dragon - Traditional Asian Martial Arts
Chapter 1 - Pleased to Beat You
Daniel-san: Good at Manners, Bad at Fighting
Aristotle, meet Jigoro Kano
Yours sincerely, WHACK!
Confucius Says: “Sorry about the Numb Arm, Mate”
Free Your Mind, and Your Roundhouse Will Follow
Chapter 2 - An Interview with Bodhidharma
Chapter 3 - Don’t Think! Just Act!
The Problem
Takuan Soho
Action and Intention
Training
Intentional Action
A Koan
Chapter 4 - Plato and the Shaolin Monks Square Off
Plato’s Martial Soul
Bravery
Mind and Body
Bodhidharma
No-Self
Training the No-Mind
From Mindfulness to No-Mind
Martial Practice
And the Winner Is ...
Chapter 5 - Now Who’s the Master?
Masters versus Masters
Round One: Secret Strike
Round Two: Schubert Counters
Knowledge and Mastery

The Karate Kid - Character and Education
Chapter 6 - An Enemy Lying in Ambush
Discipline on the Veranda
What to Do if You Are Buried Alive
A Will in Accord with Nature
Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Disciplining Love?
An “Act of Will”
An Enemy Lying in Ambush
Chapter 7 - Armbarring the Common Good
And when I Get Home to You, After the Judo I Do, You Know I Feel
Alright
Utility Is All You Need
Happiness Is a Worn Gi
Bentham’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Nothing You Can Say but You Can Learn How to Play the Game. It’s Easy
Don’t Carry the World upon Your Shoulders. Only Your Opponent
Chapter 8 - Sparring with Emptiness
The Existentialist Starting Point
Freedom, Transcendence, and Responsibility
Bad Faith and Authenticity
Owning Our Actions
Acting Without Hope
Living the Absurd Life
Chapter 9 - Grrrrl in a Gi
The Black Belt
Two-Year-Old versus Patriarchy
Self-Defense
You and Your Mind
The Other Side
Ethics and Respect
Care of the Self
The Last Resort
Chapter 10 - Home Is Where the Fight Is
Marking Out the Ownership of Space
Rituals of the Body
Practices of Hierarchy
Philosophy of Play
The Way of the Place

The Perfect Weapon - Ethics and Value
Chapter 11 - Iaido, Aikido, and the Other
The Drawing of the Sword
The Art of Peace and Love ...
Enter Some Philosophers
Touch
I Kant Get Enough of Your Love ... or Kan I?
Back at the Bins, or Loving Your Enemy Like Your Neighbor
Chapter 12 - Epistemic Viciousness in the Martial Arts
Beliefs in the Martial Arts
On Going to the Dojo Like You’re Going to Church
The Problem with Investment
Trust Me, I’m Your Sensei
Deferring to History
Poverty and Vice
Why It Matters
Chapter 13 - Seeing Your Own Shadow
Of Shadows and Light, and Other Opposites
Greater Peace or Enhanced Violence?
Strength versus Weakness
Holism versus Dualism
Appreciation for or Distortion of Tradition?
The Moving Shadow of Truth
Chapter 14 - Budo for Buddhists
Take No Life
Zen and the Martial Arts
No First Strike
Stop Before Harm
Weapons and Violence
Weapons of Wood
The Humble Walking Stick
Weapons of Steel
What Monkey Should Have Known
Chapter 15 - The Eye of the Beholder
The Dao of the Body
The Birth of Beauty
Finding Beauty
Living Beauty

Excalibur - Western Martial Arts
Chapter 16 - Sir Aristotle and the Code of Chivalry
The Paradox of Virtue and Chivalry
The Golden Mean and the nth Degree
Jousting for Virtue
Chapter 17 - The Glove of Wisdom
Violence on Campus
Boxing, a School for Virtues
Chapter 18 - Fencing Is the Loneliest Martial Art
How Selfish Is Fencing?
Why Fencing Is Egoistic
Fencing and Egoistic Deception
Should Fencing Be Deceptive?
Is Fencing a Dishonorable Art?
Chapter 19 - Why Practice an Unmartial Martial Art?
What We Get from Fencing
Swords Have Names
The Personality of the Épée
Chapter 20 - What Makes Fencing Unique?
Defending Your Honor
Distance Makes the Difference
Back to Square One

And in the Blue Corner, Wearing the White Pants
The University of Hard Knocks
Fighting Index
Copyright Page
®
Popular Culture and Philosophy
Series Editor: George A. Reisch
VOLUME 1
Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000)
VOLUME 2
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (2001)
VOLUME 3
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002)
VOLUME 4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale
(2003)
VOLUME 5
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (2003)
VOLUME 6
Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter’s Box (2004)
VOLUME 9
Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004)
VOLUME 12
Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine
(2005)
VOLUME 13
Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (2005)
VOLUME 17
Bob Dylan and Philosophy: It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Thinking) (2006)
VOLUME 18
Harley-Davidson and Philosophy: Full-Throttle Aristotle (2006)
VOLUME 19
Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think! (2006)
VOLUME 23
James Bond and Philosophy: Questions Are Forever (2006)
VOLUME 24