Walking With The Tengu

In this introductory episode we look at one of the three traditional divisions of philosophy. Epistemology, which is the study of knowledge. How do we know anything and how can we trust that what we know is accurate. A very important question for anyone studying the martial arts.

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In this introductory episode we look at a classic allegory used to teach philosophical principles. We then take a stab at interpreting it through the lens of martial arts training.

To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF go to: walkingtengu.wix.com/tengu and scroll to the bottom to enter your email.

In this episode we build off the foundations of the last two episodes about the Greeks and take a detailed look at the Battle of Thermopylae (as well as a battle that comes afterwards) as a lens into the classical Greek views of which was more important. Displaying bravery or obeying orders.

We then take a look at how to apply this in our own daily martial arts practice.

To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF go to: walkingtengu.wix.com/tengu and scroll to the bottom to enter your email.

Today we look at the question "What is courage?" through the lens of the Greek hoplite. We build off what we learned in the last episode about the standards and beliefs rooted in the Homeric epics in Classical Greece.

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In our longest episode to date. We turn to a new, perhaps surprising, source for martial philosophy. The Greeks. Specifically Homer's Iliad. Where we explore this idea of "No Man Left Behind." 

What makes us care about retrieving the bodies of dead soldiers at significant cost and risk to the still living?  The blurry echoes of these ideas may be found in the shattered remnants of the distant past . 

Referenced in this episode:

“The Data That Is Killing The Self Defense Industry” - https://anchor.fm/high-percentage/episodes/The-Data-That-Is-Killing-The-Self-Defense-Industry-e4rivv

Today we try to provide a very basic framework by which you can answer this question. As usual I'm not going to tell you an answer but we'll spend a little time talking about how we can think about this problem and come up with a reasonably well-thought out response.

You can read today's quote in context here: https://ctext.org/mozi/anti-fatalism-i

We continue looking at the work of Mozi and see that he has some thoughts on how to Get Things Done. Find out how this can apply to your martial practice.

Today's selection is from the chapter titled "Self-Cultivation." (https://ctext.org/mozi/self-cultivation)

In this episode we look at the way of the junzi (君子), the "superior person" according to Mozi. A philosophical opponent to Kongzi (Confucius) who, I think, lends his philosophy well to anyone looking to practice the martial arts. 

Our selection today comes from Book 1 "Befriending The Learned" (https://ctext.org/mozi/befriending-the-learned).

You might also be interested in watching the 2006 Hong Kong film "Battle of the Warriors" also known in English as "A Battle of Wits." Which depicts a student of Mozi putting his philosophy of self-defense for the weak against the strong into action. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485863/)