Book description
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.
""Austin and Reid have done the sports community a great
favor in bringing together such a fine collection of philosophical
essays on the Olympics. Given the sheer scope of the Olympic Games in
modern times, this book will be a critical companion to those who want
to understand better the nuances and contradictions of the world's
greatest sporting event." -- Mike McNamee, editor of The Ethics
of Sports: A Reader" --
Heather L. Reid is professor and chair of the department of
philosophy at Morningside College. She serves on the editorial board
of review for the Journal of Philosophy of Sport, and the executive
board of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and
is the author of Philosophical Athlete: Athletics and Philosophy in
the Ancient World and co-author of Aretism: An Ancient Sports
Philosophy for the Modern Sports World
Michael W. Austin is associate professor of philosophy at Eastern
Kentucky University and serves on the executive board of the
International Association for the Philosophy of Sport. He is the
editor of several publications, including Running and Philosophy: A
Marathon for the Mind and Football and Philosophy: Going Deep.
