Bruce Lee, Innovator? - Reader Comments

Reader Comments

1/28/07 Daniel wrote:

Read your two pages on Lee's Haislett, et al, quotes. Just wanted to say it's been known for quite a number of years now that "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" as published after Lee's death, was not meant for publication. His widow even declares as much in her introduction, in that "book," in 1975. The "book" is based on his own personal research of the authors he quoted. He was not ripping any one off, anymore than others, who did not come up with the phrase, "at the end of the day," merely use the phrase as a means of describing their perception. Not sure what your agenda is. The man has stepped into the halls of history as a pioneer in martial arts, "and that, my friend," is innovation. Whoops, didn't mean to plagiarize that phrase! Thank you for your time.

TKDTutor Reply:

In the introduction to the 1975 edition of Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee, Linda Lee says that over the last 19 years of Bruce’s life (starting at age 13, which means the first 7 years were the writings of a teenager) that Bruce wrote his ideas and thoughts in a series of volumes. She says Bruce intended to publish the book in 1971, but his film work kept him from completing it. He had not published the book by the time he died in 1973 because he was “making movies.” Linda says Bruce intended the book as a “record of one man’s way of thinking.”

When you quote the ideas and thoughts of others and claim them to be your own ideas and thoughts—that is plagiarism. Bruce neither made notes that indicated which of the written ideas and thoughts were from others nor did he list the sources from which they came. Therefore, Linda Lee and Bruce Johnson, the collaborator who wrote the book, assumed the ideas and thoughts were all from Bruce. Over the years after the book was published, readers found that many of the ideas and thoughts were from others. The plagiarized items mentioned in TKDTutor.com were only a few those found over the years. It was only in later editions of the book that a disclaimer was added.

TKDTutor. com is also collection of ideas and thoughts; does that make me an innovator and philosopher? As I said in the topic, “Just because you are charming, witty, a good athlete, and an actor does not mean you are necessarily very bright or insightful. Lee's supporters seem to believe the end justifies the means; that Lee's shortcomings should be overlooked because of all he did to promote the martial arts.”

My agenda? To inform martial art students, by presenting factual information and by exposing misinformation. The topic stated its thesis in the first sentence, “Bruce Lee, a great martial artist? Yes! Bruce Lee, a great martial arts movie star? Yes! Bruce Lee, a great martial arts innovator and philosopher? No!” and then it presents facts to support that thesis. The topic closed with the statement “It is obvious that Bruce Lee was not an original thinker. Everything published about Bruce Lee’s martial arts philosophy was written by others after his death. While he was alive, Lee made himself a great martial artist and a great movie actor. After his death, others created Bruce Lee the great martial arts innovator and philosopher.”

If you think Bruce Lee was a great innovator and philosopher—show me! Other than his disputed notes and his hyped movies, the only evidence we have of his innovation and philosophy are the anecdotal memories of his friends and students.