Poll: Should philosophy play a part in an aikido curriculum?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of June 12, 2005:

Should philosophy play a part in an aikido curriculum?

• I don't do aikido
• Yes
• No
  

Here are the current results.

We are having this vary discussion on another thread. I think it must. WIthout it, you do not have Aiki DO. Strip it out, and you have something that might be identified as another jujitsu.

Philosphy is apart of all martial arts. Even those that say they have no philosophy.

Whether its spoken or not, IMHO, philosophy is alwasy a part of the technique and training.

So I guess that's a yes, how could it be otherwise? (unless you are just learning choreographed steps).

I just headed over to dictionary.com to make sure my understanding of philosophy made sense...here's what it told me:

phi·los·o·phy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (f-ls-f)
n. pl. phi·los·o·phies

1. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.

2. Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.

3. A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry: the philosophy of Hume.

4. The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.

5. The disciplines presented in university curriculums of science and the liberal arts, except medicine, law, and theology.

6. The discipline comprising logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.

7. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular field or activity; an underlying theory: an original philosophy of advertising.

8. A system of values by which one lives: has an unusual philosophy of life.

I think all of those can be attributed in some way, shape or form to every dojo I have trained in.

When I originally read/answered this poll I was thinking of "dojo culture" and how that is shaped by the philosophy of the instructors and the people training there. I was especially thinking of the "training philosophy" within a dojo and how that would be shaped by its members. Reading the actual definition of Philosophy added a few more points.

With a few yen tossed into the pot...,

--Michael

How can it not be involved... Even a "philosophy of NO PHILOSOPHY" is philosophy.

If philosophy is "love of wisdom" and you do not love wisdom and wish to prusue it, why would you practice aikido?

Students should primarily train, pursue the physical activity, For some, that is all they will do. They don't care about the baggage that comes with some Aikidoka - spirituality, philosophy, the fictional no touch throws, etc. Their Aikido is no less valid, in fact they may be technically better and probably are, because they have learnt the technique and are not looking for some other magic to help them execute it.

I read, study, examine, train as much as I can (in and out of dojo), ponder, reflect. However, some just get their Aiki through the technique.

Just a bit of philosophy.

Si