Jan Freeman writes The Word column for Ideas.
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« Re-enter the Dragon | Main | More fun with Brainiac » Tuesday, April 10, 2007Bruce Lee as philosopherThanks for pointing out the Bruce Lee documentary, Evan! Lee, of course, was not only a terrific fighter and charismatic screen presence, but a deep thinker. (He spent two years at the University of Washington in Seattle as a philosophy major, before dropping out to teach kung fu.) Alas, Lee's books are usually found in the martial arts section of the bookstore, but they belong in the philosophy section. Here's something I wrote about Lee-as-philosopher back in 1995.  PS: There's been quite a bit of speculation, over the years, about Lee's mysterious brain swelling. How could a guy in tip-top physical condition die so suddenly? Was it a head injury, allergic reaction, stroke, acute liver disease, cardiac arrest, drugs, Chinese curse? Ever since 2002, when 28-year-old Cynthia Lucero died from drinking too much water during the Boston Marathon, I've had a different theory. Hyponatremia is a sodium imbalance brought on by excess fluid consumption -- usually by Ironman types and marathon runners. As athletes absorb liquids while sweating out salt, diluted water floods the body's cells; swelling in the brain cavity can cause vomiting, confusion, seizures, coma, and even death. My diagnosis: Bruce Lee died of hyponatremia. You heard it here first. Posted by Joshua Glenn at 09:01 AM
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