Martial Arts and the Philosophy of Sport

Martial Arts and the Philosophy of Sport brings together martial arts and Eastern philosophical wisdom with the competitive world of sports as games. This exploration goes beyond the conventional view of martial arts as fighting skills and delves into their evolution as competitive Olympic sports and profound ways of self-cultivation.

Mark Stone reveals the philosophical underpinnings of both disciplines, which engage not only the body but also the mind, fostering a holistic mind-body experience. The book illuminates concepts like “no-mind” from Japanese philosophy and ”in the zone” as a mode of peak athletic performance and showcases how these practices transcend mere physicality to encompass aesthetic, competitive, and cooperative dimensions.

Martial Arts and the Philosophy of Sport argues that both martial arts and sports are forms of striving play—activities pursued for their intrinsic value and for the personal fulfillment they bring. In addition to its contributions to philosophy of sport, aesthetics, and comparative philosophy, the arguments explored in this book also offers martial artists and sports enthusiasts alike a profound understanding of their pursuits as integral to life's enduring goals, and even to understand their pursuit of excellence as a path to enlightenment.