Why Study the Philosophy of Sport?

So how does philosophy relate to sport?

Important skills to develop:

Why studying sport is one of the hardest degrees you can do.

Questioning

Close reading

Writing

Parable of the blind men and the elephant

Different disciplines consider different aspects of sport

Philosophy is the discipline that is foundational to all others.

..questions to do with knowledge and truth:

..questions to do with what is valuable and worthwhile:

It asks questions to do with the nature of things and existence:

• What is a game?

• Is it morally wrong to take drugs in sport?

• What are the differences between knowing that, a fact for example, and knowing how, to play a game for instance?

• What is sport?

It asks questions that other disciplines take for granted.

• Is a golf shot or tennis serve an object of beauty?

• Does it matter how the goal is scored?

• What is meant by 'natural human' when we discuss questions relating to performance enhancing technology in sport?

• Can we trust scientific methods of research?

A science, such as biomechanics, might be concerned with the truth of a particular theory.

It will assess this by testing and verifying hypotheses.

Logic is the foundation of philosophy

It also forms the core of mathematics (and therefore the sciences)

Logic in philosophy is mathematics with words

The aim of philosophy is to come to good conclusions through reason and logical argument.

It relies upon empirical evidence to do this but it also questions the evidence itself.

To be a good philosopher, you need to ask questions and think critically and logically.

E.g. 2 + 2 = 4

Introduction to the Philosophy of Sport and Exercise

E.g. Gloucester are not the best team in the Premiership; only the best team will win the Premiership; therefore, Gloucester will not win the Premiership.

Philosophy asks questions related to the nature of truth itself:

How can we be sure that the scientific method leads to the truth?

What is truth?

How can we prove something to be true?

Dr Emily Ryall

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy

Conceptual analysis:

Think of it like clearing an overgrown garden.

As a gardener needs to sort out the weeds from the plants, and arrange the garden so that it is well ordered and clear of rubbish, a philosopher attempts to clear the rubbish (bad thinking) from particular problems in other disciplines.

Philosophy (etymology):

Lecture 1

Greek: 'lover of wisdom'

'philo' = 'loving'

'sophia' = 'knowledge / wisdom'

Is philosophy just stating your opinion?

Historians, sociologists, psychologists, physiologists, biomechanists all ground their research in empirical data - they establish physical or factual evidence.

No!

Philosophers aim to clarify problems.

They are interested in understanding issues without making assumptions or taking things for granted.

Philosophy has an entirely different methodology from empirical research and philosophical questions have a completely different content.

Philosophers ask questions about concepts and ideas.

Things that cannot be measured by conducting scientific experiments, observing data or asking others through questionnaires and interviews.