Philosophy of Sport Chapter 21 Sport Books Publisher

Topics covered in this chapter: What is philosophy of sport? The nature of sport Ethics and sport Aesthetics and sport Sport and society Sport Books Publisher

What is Philosophy of Sport? Sport Books Publisher

Subdisciplines of philosophy Metaphysics Epistemology Aesthetics Ethics Logic The study of beauty The study of how we ought to live The study of argument analysis The study of theory of knowledge The study of what is real Philosophy Sport Books Publisher

Philosophy today Application of the same questions that arise from the “big five” to a broad array of topics Conflict resolution Feminism Race relations Sport Metadiscipline – examines and evaluates disciplines themselves The primary tool is logic Requirements for philosophical analysis: intellectual integrity, open-mindedness, critical attitude Sport Books Publisher

Philosophy of sport Asks questions such as: What precisely is sport? Is violence an inescapable part of competitive sport? Etc. For many, answers to these questions may seem unnecessary But what is sport? Chess – clip art Ultimate fighting -- http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/2797126.html Dog fighting -- http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/sadreality/1.php Chess Ultimate fighting Dog fighting Sport Books Publisher

The Nature of Sport Sport Books Publisher

Early competitive sport – Greek roots Celebratory funeral games in honor of fallen warriors (Homer, Iliad) Example: chariot race Athlein  athlete “to contend”, “to suffer” Agones  agony “contests,” “places of combat” Preparation for war and the province of males only Sport Books Publisher

Aretism The ideal of competitive sports is striving for human excellence (M. Andrew Holowchak) Ancient Greek component Arete = “excellence,” “virtue” Part of culture to strive for excellence in sport Non-Greek component Focus on the striving for and not the attainment of victory (how victory is won versus victory) Play hard but play fair Ethical component Core values of competitive sport are not internal to sport but rather are those of human beings in the world at large Picture from chapter 19 Sport Books Publisher

The “goods” of sport Children Adults External goods: money, approval, fame Internal goods: love, cooperation, courage Children Do not have fully developed rational faculty Mostly motivated by external goods (e.g., approval, recognition) Adults Have fully developed rational faculty Some have the capacity to appreciate internal benefits Others are motivated by external goods like recognition Professional athletes can be motivated by external goods such as money and fame Clip art Sport Books Publisher

< Sport and values The core values of modern sport: Internalism Values of competitive sport are unique and not reducible to those of society Externalism Values of competitive sport are not unique and are merely a subset of society’s values < The core values of modern sport: Derived from society Do not vary from society to society Universally embraced by all capable of rationality Sport Books Publisher

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