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Striking Beauty: A Philosophical Look at the Asian Martial Arts

by Barry Allen

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Martial arts through Chinese traditions and Western philosophy

$47.61 USD
$47.61 USD $47.61 USD

Hardcover New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Martial arts through Chinese traditions and Western philosophy

Barry Allen places Asian martial arts in conversation with both Chinese philosophical traditions and major Western debates about the body, matter, aesthetics, and violence. The book examines links to Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Sunzi’s Art of War while considering martial arts as practiced disciplines and as forms watched for their technical and aesthetic dimensions. Its ethical inquiry keeps violence in view, addressing the tension between the pleasure and beauty associated with martial arts and the problems raised by their use of force. This is a comparative philosophical study that treats martial arts as a substantial subject for thinking about embodied experience and ethical value.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Students and general readers interested in philosophy of sport and the body
  • Martial arts practitioners seeking philosophical and historical context
  • Readers exploring Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and cross-cultural philosophy

Themes

Asian martial artsEmbodimentChinese philosophySports aestheticsEthics of violence

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The first book to focus on the intersection of Western philosophy and the Asian martial arts, Striking Beauty comparatively studies the historical and philosophical traditions of martial arts practice and their ethical value in the modern world. Expanding Western philosophy's global outlook, the book forces a theoretical reckoning with the concerns of Chinese philosophy and the aesthetic and technical dimensions of martial arts practice.

Striking Beauty explains the relationship between Asian martial arts and the Chinese philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, in addition to Sunzi's Art of War. It connects martial arts practice to the Western concepts of mind-body dualism and materialism, sports aesthetics, and the ethics of violence. The work ameliorates Western philosophy's hostility toward the body, emphasizing the pleasure of watching and engaging in martial arts, along with their beauty and the ethical problem of their violence.

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