The science of martial arts should be no different. For Bruce Lee all knowledge led to self-knowledge

Bruce Lee's philosophy was predicated on a sense of individuality.  It was a philosophy preserved in the catacombs of one man's mind, full of twists and turns and dead ends.

Said Bruce Lee:  "The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or in defeat.  Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment."

One of Lee's favorite parables was the story of the western scholar who came to Japan to learn about Zen from an old Zen master.  As the story goes, the two sat down to introductory tea, and it became evident after a few minutes that the western scholar was more interested in telling the Zen master what he knew than learning anything from him.  As the Zen master poured the tea for his guest, the scholar continued to ramble on.  The tea began to spill over the edges of the cup; the Zen master continued pouring.  "Sir!" said the western scholar.  "The cup is over-full!" "Yes," replied the Zen master, "and like this cup you too are over-filled with your own ideas and opinions.  How do you expect to learn if you are not willing to empty your cup?"

Lee believed that you should not dismiss something out of hand without first investigating it for yourself. Bruce Lee also believed in Goethe's dictum: "Knowing is not enough; you must apply."  It was his opinion that knowledge is useless if it is not put to good use.  More importantly, one can never determine the value of knowledge if it is not tested.  To quote Lao Tzu: "Tao people never try.  They do."

As the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates first explained, the best way to knowledge and wisdom is through the dialectic, or the process of placing ideas in open discussion so that the inherent weaknesses of the ideas can be discovered.  This Socratic Method is now used, not only in philosophy, but also in the scientific method of examination, wherein a researcher will first formulate a hypothesis and then try to prove or disprove it.  The science of martial arts should be no different.

For Bruce Lee all knowledge led to self-knowledge

Bruce Lee: Dynamic Becoming by James Bishop