Martial arts and dualistic philosophy: conflict, harmony and the search for balance
Trans/Form/Ação August 3, 2025 DOI: 10.1590/0101-3173.2025.v48.n5.e025131 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis paper argues that martial arts, particularly Wushu, serve as embodied vehicles for ethical transformation and spiritual freedom. Drawing on Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, it examines how martial arts integrate opposing forces—mind and body, strength and softness, offense and defense—through the dynamic structure of Yin and Yang. The author contends that this embodied dialectic fosters virtue by unifying affective, physical, and cognitive dimensions of self-cultivation. Engaging with Western subjectivity and modern body theory, the paper proposes that martial arts transcend dichotomies and offer a holistic ethical perspective. Ultimately, martial arts emerge as a lived ethical practice of self-cultivation, resilience, and harmony.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Martial arts Daoism Embodied practice Dualism Dialectical unity |
| Key finding | Argues that martial arts, particularly Wushu, embody a practical philosophy grounded in the body's phenomenology and the dynamic structure of Yin and Yang, fostering virtue through an embodied dialectic that integrates affective, physical, and cognitive dimensions. |
Abstract
This paper focuses on how the reconstruction of moral self and spiritual freedom can be realized through the philosophical analysis of dialectical unity in martial arts practice. It examines how Eastern philosophies, such as Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, inform martial arts, emphasizing the integration of opposing forces like mind and body, strength and softness, and offense and defense. By articulating a central claim that martial arts serve as embodied vehicles for ethical transformation, this paper contributes to contemporary debates in virtue ethics and philosophy of mind. It argues that martial arts, particularly Wushu, embody a practical philosophy based on the body’s phenomenology, grounded in the dynamic structure of Yin and Yang. This embodied dialectic fosters virtue by integrating affective, physical and cognitive dimensions of self-cultivation. Engaging with Western subjectivity traditions and modern body theory, the paper explores how martial arts transcend dichotomies, offering a holistic ethical perspective that integrates mind and body. Ultimately, martial arts emerge as a lived ethical practice of self-cultivation, resilience and harmony. Submission: 21/5/2025 – Decision: 20/6/2025 - Revision: 16/7/2025 – Publication: 8/8/2025