I first learned about Thomas Kuhn’s 1962 game-changing book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, in my undergrad “History of Science and Technology” class. After reading the book, I see how Kuhn looks at science, not as necessarily a truth-seeking endeavor, but more of a rhetorical process. Scientists aren’t discovering truth, but studying and advocating for better … Continue reading Readings: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences (decision making) and a former professor of psychology at Princeton University. His 2011 book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” is still a popular book for people trying to figure out how our cognitive selves operate. Though he is intelligent and highly educated, he can take the … Continue reading Readings: Thinking, Fast and Slow (and What That Means for Martial Artists).
“When you go into combat mode, you see less.”
In many ways, Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning” is a memoir and a treatise on human tenacity. In one way, it tells of Frankl’s hardships in the Nazi imprisonment camps, Auschwitz being the worst. In another manner, the book gives us insight into how we can endure in the hardest of times and the … Continue reading Readings: Man’s Search For Meaning (Suffering and Success)
In my last post, I mentioned James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. Before reading that book, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. The two books were written over 15 years apart, but they both discuss elements of our environment and how those elements shape who we are and how we can change, for better … Continue reading Readings: The Tipping Point (Changing Your Environment, part 2)
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to keep up that workout routine or why you can’t stay on top of your diet? Maybe you can’t seem to make that work deadline because social media or video games rob you of much needed time. We often think we can change our habits through willpower … Continue reading Readings: Atomic Habits (Changing Your Environment, part 1)
Continuing with a previous post about failure and how it can lead to successes, I want to discuss a book I am reading. For Christmas, I received Ryan Holiday’s “The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Are of Turning Trials into Triumph.” I have been a follower of Holiday’s blog, The Daily Stoic, and I’ve … Continue reading Readings: The Obstacle is the Way – The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
If you haven't picked up Old School Jiu Jitsu founder Brian Jones's book, Manifesto, you are missing out on a gem. Jiu Jitsu is about fun, fellowship, and food for thought, but the core principle of Jiu Jitsu is fighting. An excerpt from the first few pages lays out the thesis: "Jiu Jitsu training provides … Continue reading Readings: Old School Jiu-Jitsu – Manifesto
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experience alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.” – Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis
Self-defense trainer and man of letters Greg Ellifritz (Active Response Training) recently wrote an instructive blog post on “Institutional Memory.” It was occasioned by an essay by Chris Cerino (of “Top Shot” fame) titled A Short History Of Pistol Shooting Techniques.
Gratuitous photo of me drinking beer with Chris Cerino at the Wild Beaver Saloon, Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Sandy Yamane
Cerino’s article recalled for Ellifritz a conversation he was having with fellow trainer Tom Givens about how few contemporary gun trainers are “fully aware of the history and evolution of the art.” The “institutional memory” — the collective knowledge and experiences — of the gun training community has been or is being lost.
To wit: Karl Rehn of KR Training has been working hard on a book on the history of handgun training and technique, as well as an historical handguns class, but what he…
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Here is a nice review of a book with Stoic undertones. Both the book and the review are short and sweet.
As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen was originally published in 1902. Though it’s well over 100 years old at this point, the principles of the book still hold. The overarching theme of the book is – What we fill our minds with, becomes what our lives are filled with. This review will be a short one, because it’s a short book. More of a collection of seven essays, all related the the same topic. My copy is only 40 pages.
An interesting analogy used in the book is to relate your mind to a garden that you are in charge of tending. Would you put seeds from weed plants in with your fruits or vegetables? If you’ve ever actually tended a garden and fought weeds for a season, you’ll pretty emphatically answer that question with a “hard no”. Just like the garden, we have to work to keep weeds…
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The Philosophical Fighter 