Ethos and techne

I do not count martial arts among my list of hobbies. It is much more than a hobby or simply an enjoyable pastime. In fact, the arts have permeated many of the aspects of my life. However, living in the twenty-first century mandates that I either be independently wealthy (which I am not) or I have a job. My job, in addition to consuming 45 to 60 hours of my time a week, provides for my family and the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed. I am the primary source of income for our family. While it is true that being a software engineer has little to do with the martial arts, my experience in the martial arts do have a lot to do with how I approach my day in the corporate world. The philosophy of the arts provides guidance (hard work, modesty, courage, responsibility, tenacity, experience, and so on). Likewise, being a practicing catholic also guides my activities and provides direction on how I pursue all activities. These two sources of wisdom have become very interwoven in my personality.

There exists a useful further distinction between lifestyle and hobby. It comes from Ancient Greek philosophy, from the difference and association between techne and ethos. Techne is a term, etymologically derived from the Greek word τέχνη, that is often translated as "craftsmanship", "craft", or "art" (Wikipedia contributors n.d.). It is carried forward today in words like technology and technique. It is the “how” to do something - a method of carrying out a task, especially the execution or performance of an artistic work or a scientific procedure.

Ethos, is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of Orpheus exhibit this idea in a compelling way. The word's use today is closely based on the Greek terminology used by Aristotle in his concept of the three artistic proofs (Wikipedia contributors n.d.). Ethos is a way of life, it is concerned with that of the whole character, not simply specific techniques.

Given this it would correct to say the curriculum of Tang Soo Do, or any of the classical martial arts contains both ethos and techne. If you were to discuss the ethos of Tang Soo Do, you would describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, or ideology. The techne of Tang Soo Do can be found in the hyungs, self-defense techniques, and more physical aspects. Conversely, CQB (close quarters combat), is only concerned with techne or technique. It would be foolish to claim that CQB was a way of life and used for the betterment of self or the development whole character. In the martial arts, the two, ethos and techne, are not separate, it is useful (in fact I would argue required) to embed techne within ethos - Tang Soo Do (ethos) clearly contains many techniques(techne).