Movements that matter: how martial arts studies can reframe the ethics of first-blush empathy

Katz, Peter 2024. Movements that matter: how martial arts studies can reframe the ethics of first-blush empathy. Martial Arts Studies (15) , pp. 72-83. 10.18573/mas.185

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Abstract

If empathy is how bodies resonate with one another, and ethics is what we are meant to do with that resonance, consideration of the ethics of empathy must begin with the split-second, non-conscious resonance between bodies: first-blush empathy. By combining the expertise of academics and practitioners of bodily knowledge, martial arts studies can distinctively consider how to cultivate the most ethical responses to others. This disciplinary argument takes physical form through a reading of a practice from Shotokan Aiki-karate-do that opposes hyper-attention to self or other with cultivated non-attention. To unpack these principles, the essay then uses philosophy of mind from to illustrate how attention provides a more compelling description of this initial bodily response to other bodies than intention. To most ethically engage others without imposing our own knowledge or self-absorption, we should cultivate deliberate habits of receptivity around first-blush empathy.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
ISSN:	2057-5696
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 July 2024
Date of Acceptance:	1 June 2024
Last Modified:	26 Jul 2024 12:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170876

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