Donald Levine's "Martial Arts as a Resource..."

"...for Liberal Education: The Case of Aikido"

Written in 1989 as a revision of a 1984 article, "The Liberal Arts and the Martial Arts," the article stands out to me in several ways.

First, in the first couple pages, Levine establishes clear links between Jutsu and Techne. If I am to work on rhetoric and MA at all, this is an obvious place for good ground.

Second, Levine differentiates between Budo and Bujutsu. I am not sure if his distinctions are accurate, so I want to read and confirm with Donn Draeger's texts before I go to far.

Nice quotable connection on page 2 between paedeia and Budo.

Some good introductory discussions and sources for more information on liberal education and humanitas.

Interesting points about democratic/scattered nature of western culture and the authoritarian/focused nature of many Asian martial arts.

Another interesting point of comparison might be how with the rise of MMA, and thus the cross-fertilization, much of the provincialism and authoritarianism (pg 10) might wear out, die out, or go away. Simply put, in an era of information exchange, dogma will not cut it if your fighters always lose. In writing/composition, if your students do not pass tests, if your grad students do not get work, if your MFA people do not get book deal or contracts, they are not succeeding. And, rightfully so, they should leave you for another school which enables success.

This, of course, invites discussions of success--market versus personal--but I am only addressing the competitive nature and applications of MA in academia.

We could talk about arete, and I am glad that Levine mentions it several times. Arete, just like paedeia and humanitas, deserve a lot more of my attention.

Levine's profile at U Chicago