The Martial Brain
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The Martial Brain
The Martial Brain Podcast explores the intersection between the martial arts, scientific skepticism, critical thinking, and that wacky organ that floats between our ears. It is part of Jeff Westfall's effort to help lift the martial arts out of the quagmire of hundreds of years of magical thinking...
Najnowsze odcinki
50 odcinków235 The Forgotten War Part 24
Remember the words of Voltaire who said "anyone who can convince you of absurdities can get you to commit atrocities."
234 The Forgotten War Part 23
The Pulahans arose from a specific cauldron of local grievances, traditional values, and foreign interference that so often gives rise to millennial m...
The Forgotten War Part 22
The story of the Pulahan War is a sad tale of exploitation visited on the poorest of the poor Filipinos, leading them down the rabbit hole of fanatici...
The Forgotten War Part 21
The stories of these six regiments extend beyond the war in the Philippines.
The Forgotten War Part 20
"I want to tell you that we are not bandits as the Americans have accused. but members of the revolutionary force that defended our mother country, th...
The Forgotten War Part 19
On May 6,1903, Makario Sakay proclaimed himself El Presidente Supremo of the "Tagolog Republic of the Philippines."
The Forgotten War Part 18
The very idea of arming Filipinos and turning them loose in the countryside was utterly abhorrent to the American military brass.
227 The Forgotten War Part 16
I hold Waller's actions in Samar as reprehensible, as egregious abuses of his constitutional privileges as a a military commander.
226 The Forgotten War Part 15
In the meantime, General Smith's combined Brigade was following his orders to turn Samar into a "howling wilderness."
225 The Forgotten War Part 14
As the now infamous town of Balangiga burned behind him, Capt. Bookmiller famously quoted the book of Hosea: "They have sown the wind, and they shall...
224 The Forgotten War Part 13
No matter what you call it, the event at Balangiga was the worst defeat of American troops since the Battle of the Little Big Horn!
223 The Forgotten War Part 12
Funston, four other Americans, and a renegade Spaniard would pose as POWs in the "custody" of a group of Macabebe Scouts in captured Insurrecto unifor...
222 The Forgotten War Part 11
"To see nine men, the officers in their drawers and the privates naked, cross such a stream by such means, and drive off an entrenched force not less...
221 The Forgotten War Part 10
I find the story of David Fagen fascinating. We seldom rationally depict such figures in history.
220 The Forgotten War Part 9
The leaders of the Philippine independence movement had tremendous admiration for the American founding fathers and the government they wrought!
219 The Forgotten War Part 8
The depth and breadth, the sheer comprehensiveness of Filipino martial technology stands as a shining example, a tribute to defiance in the face of ty...
218 The Forgotten War Part 7
But it turns out that the Filipino people didn't WANT themselves and their property to be the property of the United States!
217 The Forgotten War Part 6
On June 12, 1898, the Filipino rebels officially declared independence from Spain, in a document that, ironically, in light of what was to come, drew...
216 The Forgotten War Part 5
Pershing was an instructor at West Point when the war broke out, and quickly sought to rejoin his old unit, the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.
215 The Forgotten War Part 4
In order to get to Santiago, his troops would need to get past the fortified San Juan Heights on its outskirts, which loomed across their path like a...
214 The Forgotten War Part 3
The history of the world in the upcoming decade would have played out quite differently if Teddy Roosevelt had perished on that hot June day in the Cu...
Calm Down, People!
If there's one thing that can be learned from human history, it's that there is no crisis so bad that it cannot be made worse by our tendency to engag...
213 The Forgotten War Part 2
When you picture a scene from the old west in which the cavalry comes charging to the rescue, in reality at least ten percent of the time those "boys...
212 The Forgotten War Part 1
The epic story of the relationship between the USA and the Philippines started in war a little over a century ago.
211 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 2
Despite the fact that ethical jiujitsu players shouldn't SEEK to render their opponent unconscious, it's not at all uncommon for unintended "choke-out...
210 Syncope, Hypnagogia, Barnyard Animal Behavior, and Sex Demons Part 1
It's almost like taking out an opponent with Mr. Spock's Vulcan nerve pinch!
209 Inter-species Combat Part 2
The myth that chimpanzees are 3 to 5 times stronger than humans stems from a poorly done study that was done nearly a century ago.
208 Inter-species Combat Part 1
The Roman practice of pitting humans against animals in the arena not only slaked the blood-lust of cheering crowds, it also appealed to the human obs...
207 Tis the Season…to Rage Against the Dying of the Light
How deeply frightening must if have been to people who had no idea that they lived on a giant sphere spinning in space as it also orbits around the su...
206 You Can’t Force Balance
So, of course, before the science was more thoroughly understood the supplement industry promptly built the bandwagon and then enthusiastically jumped...
205 In the Darkness, a Shining Blade I Hold
If you would like to be "that person" who always seems to have a thoughtful, logical point of view in any discussion, who doesn't easily fall prey to...
204 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.2
I had been forced to endure the presence of bullies for much of my young life; I would be damned if I was going to add to macho martial culture by pro...
203 Heroes of the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Academy Part 1.1
When I contemplate what a dark place my mind was inhabiting prior to Dave's visit, it's perfectly possible that he saved my life that night.
202 The Intersection of Survival and Self-Expression
The study of the martial arts lies precisely at the intersection of the worlds of survival and self-expression.
201 Toxic Sparring Culture
When sparring is done badly it's at the very least a poor use of training time, is probably very frightening, dangerous as hell, and really painful to...
200 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 2
If such a student leaves the academy before being "certified" by his instructor, and then starts his own academy many people will label him as "illegi...
199 Authenticity, Inauthenticity, and the Martial Arts Part 1
Here's a thought...Is it a stretch to substitute the word "competent" for the word "authentic" when referring to a martial artist?
198 Make a Note of This!
In a preliterate world if you wanted to remember something you had to do just that, REMEMBER it!