Bruce Lee as philosopher: 10 of the ideas animating his martial art style ‘jeet kune do’, such as letting nature take its course
- Hong Kong martial arts superstar Bruce Lee worked hard to underpin his fighting style jeet kune do with philosophy
- Here are 10 of his most notable philosophical ideas
Chinese martial arts styles are grounded in traditional philosophy, and Hong Kong martial arts superstar Bruce Lee worked hard to endow jeet kune do, a fighting style he created, with philosophical underpinnings.
While a student at the University of Washington in the United States, Lee studied two courses in philosophy – Introduction to Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy – and he applied what he had learned there to martial arts.
His words have been collected in various books, such as Tao of Jeet Kune Do and Words of the Dragon. Below are 10 of his more notable philosophical ideas.
1. Every action should have its why and wherefore and there ought to be a complete and proficient theory to back up the whole concept of Chinese martial arts. I wish to infuse the spirit of philosophy into martial arts, therefore I insist on studying philosophy.