THE
PROTECTOR
ETHIC
Morality, Virtue, and Ethics in the Martial Way
JAMES V. MORGANELLI
YMAA Publication Center
Wolfeboro, NH USA
YMAA Publication Center, Inc.
PO Box 480
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, 03894
1-800-669-8892 • [email protected] • www.ymaa.com
ISBN: 9781594395581 (print) • ISBN: 9781594395598 (ebook)
Copyright © 2018 by James V. Morganelli
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Edited by T. G. LaFredo
Cover design by Axie Breen
This book typeset in 12 pt. Adobe Garamond.
Typesetting by Westchester Publishing Services
Publisher’s Cataloging in Publication
Names: Morganelli, James V., author.
Title: The protector ethic : morality, virtue, and ethics in the martial way / James V. Morganelli.
Description: Wolfeboro, NH USA : YMAA Publication Center, Inc., [2018] | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: ISBN: 9781594395581 (print) | 9781594395598 (ebook) | LCCN: 2017963167
Subjects: LCSH: Martial artists—Conduct of life. | Martial arts—Moral and ethical aspects. | Martial arts—Psychological aspects. | Hand-to-hand fighting, Oriental—Philosophy. | Violence—Moral and ethical aspects. | Violence—Psychological aspects. | Self-defense—Moral and ethical aspects. | Discipline—Moral and ethical aspects. | Justice—Moral and ethical aspects. | Vigilance (Psychology) | Courage—Moral and ethical aspects. | BISAC: SPORTS & RECREATION / Martial Arts & Self-Defense. | PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy. | PHILOSOPHY / Good & Evil.
Classification: LCC: GV1102.7.P75 M674 2018 | DDC: 796.815—dc23
Disclaimer: The authors and publisher of the material are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any manner whatsoever for any injury which may occur through reading or following the instructions in this manual.
The activities physical or otherwise, described in this manual may be too strenuous or dangerous for some people, and the reader(s) should consult a physician before engaging in them.
Warning: While self-defense is legal, fighting is illegal. If you don’t know the difference you’ll go to jail because you aren’t defending yourself. You are fighting—or worse. Readers are encouraged to be aware of all appropriate local and national laws relating to self-defense, reasonable force, and the use of weaponry, and act in accordance with all applicable laws at all times. Understand that while legal definitions and interpretations are generally uniform, there are small—but very important—differences from state to state and even city to city. To stay out of jail, you need to know these differences. Neither the authors nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.
Nothing in this document constitutes a legal opinion nor should any of its contents be treated as such. While the authors believe that everything herein is accurate, any questions regarding specific self-defense situations, legal liability, and/or interpretation of federal, state, or local laws should always be addressed by an attorney at law.
This text may rely on public news sources to gather information on various crimes and criminals described herein. While news reports of such incidences are generally accurate, they are on occasion incomplete or incorrect. Consequently, all suspects should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
When it comes to martial arts, self-defense, and related topics, no text, no matter how well written, can substitute for professional, hands-on instruction. These materials should be used for academic study only.
The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.
—Sir William Francis Butler, Charles George Gordon (1889)
Contents
FOREWORD
PROLOGUE
INTRODUCTION: THE MARTIAL IS MORAL
Know Your Ought
1
To Value: Justice as Honor
A Genuine Fake
Respect: Owed or Earned?
Justice or Just-Us?
The Way of Justice
The Moral as Martial: Honesty
The Hunting Story
Our Naturally Lawful Laws
Without Must, Ought, and Should
The Polite Absurdity
Calibrating the Moral Compass
Honor
2
To Reason: Temperance as Integrity
Stepping Forward
Self-Risk Is Self-Worth
Reason to Risk
The
