06/22/2015
According to this fascinating, challenging treatise from McMaster University philosophy professor Allen (Vanishing into Things: Knowledge in Chinese Tradition), the uninitiated often see Asian martial arts as nothing more than a mix of sport and combat, but there is also a great deal of beauty in the discipline. Allen, himself trained in kung fu, wushu, taijiquan, wing chun, karate, and hapkido, attempts to unravel the central paradox of martial arts—that they are imbued with both beauty and violence. He begins with quotes from ancient Chinese texts, tracing the growth of martial arts alongside the ideas and practices of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. He contrasts these systems of belief with the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, in particular the mind-body divide. Allen then compares the aesthetics of martial arts to dance, drawing the distinction that dance is endotelic (“actions that contain their end in their doing”), while martial arts, originally designed for violence, can be performed without it. In his final chapter, Allen ruminates on the place of violence in civilization, asking whether it truly possesses what Yeats called “a terrible beauty,” and ultimately concluding that the essential value of martial arts lies outside their function in combat. He acknowledges that his book may be more approachable for “philosophers curious about the martial arts than... martial arts practitioners seeking a philosophy of their practice.” Allen’s inquiry is certainly esoteric enough that outsiders will be unlikely to fully appreciate it. (Aug.)
Displaying a firm understanding of both Western and Chinese philosophical traditions, Striking Beauty instructively addresses the much neglected topic of East Asian martial arts philosophy, providing scholarly insights into ethics, aesthetics, and comparative philosophy from a convincing somatic perspective.
An incredible book that views the Chinese martial arts from every angle—philosophical, psychological, and practical—from their home of origin throughout the world at large, from ancient times to the present. Truly a breathtaking experience.
A significant contribution to comparative philosophy, Allen's Striking Beauty is a focused investigation of the intersection of Asian martial arts, the philosophical traditions surrounding them, and Western philosophy.... Highly recommended.
Allen is our preeminent student of artistry in the applied arts, the beauty that comes as an unsought byproduct of devotion to instrumental effectiveness. Here he writes as a seasoned practitioner about Asian martial arts—disciplines whose devotion to bodily excellence and violence pose special challenges to sympathetic philosophical understanding
Striking Beauty is a necessary book, connecting themes from Chinese and Western spiritual and philosophical traditions with the embodied aesthetics of self-cultivation found in the martial arts. Allen's discussion is lively, wide-ranging, and multiply revealing. From Buddha and Laozi to Bruce Lee and postmodernism, from dance to sport to sculpture: Allen displays mastery of incredibly wide-ranging materials. Both philosophers and practitioners will find his treatment accurate, broad, profound, and potentially transformative, revealing much about combat and art, life and intellect, body and mind.
Striking Beauty presents a beautifully and forcefully written account of the philosophical background of martial arts in Eastern and Western traditions. At the same time, it also presents the author's vision of a contemporary philosophy, and phenomenology, of the martial arts and their aesthetic, somatic, and ethical dimensions. It is a ground-breaking and inspiring book that will appeal to everyone interested in the practice, theory, and history of martial arts.
Allen presents a dazzling display of intellectual moves that strike to the core of the wisdom behind the Asian martial arts. As though we were on the mat, he gracefully throws the reader from illuminating historical accounts to pages of penetrating philosophical analysis. He locks up with broad issues about the nature of violence and power as well as such strange but compelling questions as how it is that some of us can find a violent punch an object of sublime beauty.Both a romp and a workout, this elegantly written book should be mandatory reading for all students of the martial arts.
One might think that there is no connection at all between the martial arts and philosophy; but there are many, as Barry Allen shows in Striking Beauty. The book is both knowledgeable and perceptive, and Allen writes with a clarity that makes it a pleasure to read. This is an engaging book for any martial artist or any philosopher with an interest in the martial arts, as well as for any other philosopher who welcomes a novel perspective on his or her subject
Striking Beauty presents a beautifully and forcefully written account of the philosophical background of martial arts in Eastern and Western traditions. At the same time, it also presents the author's vision of a contemporary philosophy, and phenomenology, of the martial arts and their aesthetic, somatic, and ethical dimensions. It is a ground-breaking and inspiring book that will appeal to everyone interested in the practice, theory, and history of martial arts.
Striking Beauty presents a beautifully and forcefully written account of the philosophical background of martial arts in Eastern and Western traditions. At the same time, it is also presents the author's vision of a contemporary philosophy, and phenomenology, of the martial arts and their aesthetic, somatic, and ethical dimensions. It is a ground-breaking and inspiring book that will appeal to everyone interested in the practice, theory, and history of martial arts.
