Martial Virtues

by Hackney, Charles H.

• ISBN13: 9780804840231
• ISBN10: 0804840237
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-10
• Publisher: Tuttle Pub

Summary

What does it mean to be a good warrior? Courage, justice, wisdom, benevolence... These are a few of the virtues of the ideal warrior or martial artist. But from whence do these virtues arise? Are they inherent, or can they be cultivated and taught? if so, how? Martial Virtues explores the place of the martial arts in the development of moral character. It focuses on the spiritual aspects of martial arts training, attempting to answer the question of what it means to be a good warrior. In this ground-breaking analysis, Hackney draws from the psychological literature on the development of positive character traits and from the lives and experiences of admirable warriors of fact and fiction, and analyses how the virtues of ancient and modern warriors can be developed by practicing the martial arts. Using examples from such wide-ranging sources, from the ancient Greeks to the Samurai practitioners of Bushido, from Confucius all the way to Bruce Lee, the author develops a list of virtues for the ideal warrior or martial artist. Hackney scrutinises such virtues as courage, wisdom, justice, and benevolence in turn, employing the lessons of modern psychology to understand how these virtues can be cultivated within ourselves and in others.

Author Biography

Charles Hackney has been a student of the martial arts since 1995, with a background that includes Hapkido, Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, and Fiore dei Liberi Armizare. He has a doctorate in psychology and is currently a psychology professor at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Martial Arts and the Character of the Warrior	p. 9
Virtue Ethics, Positive Psychology, and the Martial Arts	p. 16
The Fall and Rise of Virtue Ethics	p. 16
Alasdair Macintyre: Virtue Ethicist	p. 21
Reviving Aristotle	p. 21
Where Do the Martial Arts Fit Within Macintyre's Approach?	p. 24
The Virtues in Positive Psychologyv26
Psychology and the Martial Arts	p. 27
Approaches to the Warrior Virtues	p. 30
Western Warriors: Martial Virtues in Greece, Rome, Europe, and America	p. 31
Heroic Virtues in Homer, Plato, and Virgil	p. 31
Chivalry: Virtues of the Christian Knight	p. 34
Fiore dei Liberi's Bestiary	p. 39
North American Images of the Hero	p. 40
Eastern Warriors: Virtues Within Asian Ethical Thought	p. 42
Confucian Virtues	p. 43
Buddhist Virtues	p. 44
Taoism: Virtues of "the Way"	p. 46
Warrior Virtues in Asian Martial Arts	p. 47
China	p. 47
Korea	p. 50
Bushido in Japan	p. 51
Ninjutsu in Japan	p. 53
Cross-Cultural Warrior Virtues	p. 55
Courage	p. 59
Defining Courage	p. 61
Varieties of Courage	p. 61
Courage in Interaction With Other Virtues	p. 65
Cultivating Courage in Yourself	p. 68
Early identification of fear	p. 69
Suppression of fear	p. 69
Distraction	p. 70
Humanization of the enemy	p. 70
Identification with a cause	p. 70
Cultivating Courage in Others	p. 76
Idealized influence	p. 76
Inspirational motivation	p. 76
Intellectual stimulation	p. 76
Individualized consideration	p. 77
Conclusion	p. 79
Justice	p. 80
Defining Justice	p. 81
Varieties of Justice	p. 81
Justice to the Self: Honor and Integrity	p. 90
Justice Beyond the Self: Piety and Loyalty	p. 94
Justice in Interaction With Other Virtues	p. 102
Cultivating Justice in Yourself	p. 103
Cultivating Justice in Others	p. 107
Conclusion	p. 109
Temperance	p. 110
Defining Temperance	p. 112
Varieties of Temperance	p. 113
Humility	p. 113
Self-Control	p. 116
Temperance in Interaction With Other Virtues	p. 119
Cultivating Temperance in Yourself	p. 120
Fostering Temperance in Others	p. 131
Wisdom	p. 135
Definitions and Varieties of Wisdom	p. 136
Wisdom in Interaction With Other Virtues	p. 147
Cultivating Wisdom in Yourself	p. 149
Cultivating Wisdom in Others	p. 152
Benevolence	p. 161
Defining Benevolence	p. 162
Varieties of Benevolence	p. 170
Mercy	p. 170
Compassion	p. 172
Benevolence in Interaction With Other Virtues	p. 173
Cultivating Benevolence in Yourself	p. 177
Cultivating Benevolence in Others	p. 182
Conclusion	p. 183
Courtesy (Not a Virtue, but Still Vital)	p. 184
Tying It All Together: What's Your Story?	p. 194
References	p. 201
Index	p. 219
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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