Single combat, the practice of ritualized one-on-one fighting for enormous stakes, dates back to antiquity. In The Iliad, Achilles and Hector engage in a duel that stands in for a larger conflict between vast armies. The Hebrew Bible includes the account of David and Goliath, whose single combat determines the victor of a growing conflict between opposing forces, the Israelites and the Philistines, that are otherwise prepared to do battle. In Medieval Europe, single combat evolved into a legal practice grounded in the belief that divine intervention would reveal the rightful party, while in Japan, the legendary Samurai duel between Musashi and Kojiro in 1612 became a cultural touchstone shaping Japanese thinking in business and strategy for centuries.
Read Full Article »
