Heather L. Reid - Böcker

An energetic new translation of the ancient Greek satirist Lucian’s humorous and enlightening dialogue on the pros—and cons—of athletics, fitness, and competitionSports and philosophy went hand in hand for the ancient Greeks and Romans, and philosophical conversation was a recognized part of gym life throughout Greco-Roman antiquity. Athens’s Lyceum was a gym—and reportedly a hangout of that philosophical gym rat Socrates—before it became the site of Aristotle’s school. Fittingly, that gym is the setting of the Greek satirist Lucian’s Anacharsis, a witty philosophical dialogue that wrestles with questions about the purpose and value of sports—questions that we are still grappling with in our own sports- and fitness-obsessed times. How to Compete presents a new translation of Lucian’s timeless classic, inviting us into a ringside debate about the point of sports.Pitting a sports skeptic, Anacharsis, against a superfan, Solon, this delightful and thought-provoking work tries to make sense of sports. Why do so many of us care so much about them? Are sports like boxing too violent? Should we take fitness so seriously? Do athletics have educational value? And, most important of all, why did the ancient Greeks exercise naked? While Anacharsis, observing a Greek sport that sounds something like mixed martial arts, asks what kind of citizens set aside serious affairs to watch young men beat each other to a pulp, Solon counters that sports have great civic benefits and that athletes are ultimately competing for the highest prize—human excellence.Featuring an inviting introduction, a handy glossary, helpful notes, and the original Greek on facing pages, How to Compete is a winning exploration of why sports are more than just a game.

It is said the champions of the ancient Olympic Games received a crown of olive leaves, symbolizing a divine blessing from Nike, the winged goddess of victory. While the mythology of the ancient games has come to exemplify the highest political, religious, community, and individual ideals of the time, the modern Olympic Games, by comparison, are widely known as an international, bi-annual sporting event where champions have the potential to earn not only glory for their country, but lucrative endorsement deals and the perks of worldwide fame. The Olympics and Philosophy examines the Olympic Movement from a variety of theoretical perspectives to uncover the connection between athleticism and philosophy for a deeper appreciation of the Olympic Pillars of Sport, Environment, and Culture. While today's Olympic champions are neither blessed by the gods nor rewarded with wreaths of olive, the original spirit and ancient ideals of the Olympic Movement endure in its modern embodiment. Editors Heather L. Reid and Michael W. Austin have assembled a team of international scholars to explore topics such as the concept of excellence, ethics, doping, gender, and race. Interweaving ancient and modern Olympic traditions, The Olympics and Philosophy considers the philosophical implications of the Games' intersection with historical events and modern controversy in a unique analysis of tradition and the future of the Olympiad.