Are philosophers people who mainly think a lot from a dusty room in an ivory tower? Well, of course not! Pablo Lamberti shows this convincingly. In his book Combatant Life we meet philosopher warriors such as Socrates, Seneca and the Japanese samurai.
There I was on the mat of a taekwondo school in Rotterdam. Seen from a distance, I looked tough. With my almost six feet tall, broad shoulders and tattoos, I was quite an imposing figure, especially for the opponent opposite me who was much smaller. By now I had the purple belt, and with that I was well on my way to the black belt. Technically I was already good at kicking and hitting. And tough too. I broke through multiple planks with punches and kicks. But my performance that day was less impressive.
“Stop!” the instructor yelled. “What the hell are you doing? We try to touch each other. Who kicks the air in a martial art?” As soon as someone stood in front of me, I didn't dare anymore. Then I became afraid of hurting the other.
I was reminded of this experience from a few years ago while reading Pablo Lamberti's book Fighting for Life. He is currently doing his PhD in philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. In his book, Lamberti writes about philosopher-warriors such as ancient Greek Socrates and the sword-fighting Samurai from Japan. “There is almost no better way to get to know yourself than in conflict situations that bring you face to face with your weaknesses,” Lamberti writes.
Tough soldier
That sentence was recognizable to me. A martial art holds up a mirror to you. In my case that I am often too nice to others and struggled to stand up for myself. Even in a fight.
Doing a martial art, serving in the military or being a gladiator provides "a form of self-examination," Lamberti rightly writes. ‘It can contribute to personal improvement.’ In short, the mirror that martial arts holds up to you, you have to do something with that. Stand up for yourself more, for example. Lamberti really means fighting with this. The book is not about fighting as a metaphor, but about philosophers with fighting experience.
The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is a good example of this. He argued for what can be summarized as 'a strong mind resides in a strong body'. A good physical condition is therefore indispensable. He also emphasized that self-control is important, a quality that you also need as a soldier. In practice, Socrates proved to be a brave and tough soldier, according to Lamberti. He fought in several wars. So he put into practice what he taught in his native city of Athens.
Life artists
In addition to Socrates, the book also pays a lot of attention to the Japanese samurai. They were master fighters in Japan from the twelfth to the nineteenth century. They were proud warriors. The best part of the book is about them. Lamberti cites samurai Yagyu Munenori (1571-1646). He wrote that you should put philosophy into practice. Written words are nice and nice, but it's how you apply them that matters. You have to convert what you read into an attitude to life. You can see him and all the other philosophers in this book as artists of life. No quiet, dusty and boring living room scholars who thoughtfully come to new insights.
Is this book only interesting for those who practice martial arts and like to think? Well, actually there is something for everyone here. If you're not into fighting, this book will give you an interesting glimpse into the kitchen of warrior philosophy. Lamberti has written an inspiring book with Combat Life. It's a great overview of philosophy and fighting and shows that they are more intertwined than many people think.
And what happened to me? I learned a wise lesson at the time. To get better at taekwondo I had to dare to go beyond my limits. Making my moves longer and daring to hit my opponents harder. After a lot of practice it worked and it paid off. Last weekend I got my black belt, on which my instructor has put the text 'Stronger by fighting'.