Papers in English by Jernej Pisk
Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 2023
Freudian psychoanalysis offers us often neglected but unique and very fruitful possibilities for ... more Freudian psychoanalysis offers us often neglected but unique and very fruitful possibilities for an original interpretation of sport. In this article we first look at some basic Freudian concepts, such as the role of sexuality, the unconscious and dreams. In doing so, it becomes clear that sport can and should be interpreted in a similar way to Freud's interpretation of dreams. Just as dreams need to be decoded and interpreted, sport needs to be decoded and interpreted in order to understand it. On this basis, we then build a system for understanding sport that also incorporates the other important concepts of Freud's psychoanalysis. The concepts of repression, symptom formation and the role of symbols prove to be particularly relevant for understanding sport. Decoding symbols in sport (e.g. scoring a goal) shows us that sport is a derivative of the libido and has an unconscious sexual structure. Unveiling the hidden unconscious sexuality of sport shows us that (male) sport was created for the sake of women, so that men (as winners) could gain a privileged status in female desire. Sport turns out to be a symbolic substitute for the satisfaction of human sexual needs. However, to better understand the competitive nature of sport, one must include the Oedipus and castration complex. It is castration anxiety that drives sporting competition. Victory is symbolically linked to the castration of the opponent. Next we turn to Freud's concept of transference. It helps us to understand the complexity of the relationship between the athlete and the coach. This has a strong influence on athletic success. When things do not go as planned for an athlete and unexpected injuries occur, Freud's concept of 'advantage through illness' can help us understand the athlete's 'escape into injury'.
It is widely accepted that modern sport is a new era phenomenon, founded on the values of Enlight... more It is widely accepted that modern sport is a new era phenomenon, founded on the values of Enlightenment: individualization, specialization, rationalization, quantification, equality, secularization, quest for records, etc. However, it seems that this is just a partial picture of sport as it manifests itself today. Considering the nature of and the values still cherished in modern sport, it seems that in sport many pre-modern or even anti-Enlightenment conservative values and attitudes are still preserved. In this paper it will be argued therefore that modern sport is a latent carrier of conservative values and attitudes in modern society. This can be recognized in the anthropology of sport, where the pre-modern classical view on human nature as being directed into natural self-perfection is promoted. Biological differences between male and female are considered leading to male and female sport categories in competition. Tradition and past achievements still have great importance in sport. It should also be noted that in sport some kind of (natural) aristocracy is allowed. Furthermore, in sport ethics often conservative non-relativistic values are cultivated, frequently based on the authority and paternalism. Community still play an important role in sport where individualy hardly succed in any sport. In sport epistemology enlightenment's trust on sole reason is surpassed with practical experience and the 'art' of sport training. Aesthetics still have and important role in sport and cultivation ideals of beauty are still preserved. And finally, on the level of human spirituality modern sport can be understood as a kind of secular religion giving meaning to people.
Abstract of book on Philosophy of sport, publisheh in Slovenian language.
»CRITICAL THINKING IN THE DIGITAL AGE« Proceedings of the International Conference in St. Stanislav‘s Institution 10th–12th May 2018, 2018
Today almost everyone agrees that critical thinking is an unquestionable good, therefore primary ... more Today almost everyone agrees that critical thinking is an unquestionable good, therefore primary schools, high schools and universities should do more to foster this skill. There are so many critical thinkers but – paradoxically – almost none of them thinks critically about critical thinking. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically evaluate contemporary ideology of critical thinking. Contemporary critical
thinking is the product of technological and digital paradigms of thinking. Therefore, already on itself it is a part of a problem which we tend to solve itself with. Often it is presented as the aim of education – to become a critical thinker – but in its best it can just be a very limited tool to achieve its goal. Some people understand critical thinking as an ability to disapprove of everything – a kind of modern sophistry.
Critical thinking is too naïve in its belief that it could in itself create a new knowledge, forgetting other more fundamental sources of knowledge, like understanding and creative thinking. It is too close to modern rationalistic ideology which believes that pure reason is the only way to knowledge. Therefore, some feminist scholars criticize it because it doesn’t consider specific woman’s way of thinking. It is also too
individualistic and it neglects dialog and cooperation with others, as first ancient critical thinkers suggested. It’s too idealistic, too virtual and hypothetical, often out of real, physical world. Finally, it is still a big question if it is possible to teach and learn it. As this paper will show, critical thinking alone doesn’t have such redeeming power as many are convinced. However, after identifying some problems of critical
thinking, it is possible to make some corrections to it, so critical thinking could serve as a holistic human education.
AUC KINANTHROPOLOGICA, 2017
In the Christian religious tradition, theological virtues of faith, hope and love have a central ... more In the Christian religious tradition, theological virtues of faith, hope and love have a central role. Along with the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance they present the whole of the good human life. While cardinal virtues can be cultivated by human will, faith, hope and love are given by God and therefore open 'natural' human life on Earth toward transcendent spiritual realities. Human beings as bio-psycho-social and spiritual beings incorporate theological virtues in all the activities of their life. In sport, faith, hope and love have an important, though often neglected, role. On a practical level faith can be recognized in any relation between athlete and coach. To trust one's coach, without any guarantee that the outcome of prescribed workouts will lead to the desired results, needs strong faith, trust and confidence. Moreover, faith is the virtue that makes sport so attractive also for spectators even to the point of being a 'secular' religion for the masses. Hope is the virtue of 'not yet' or of something 'being on its way'. For most athletes, daily workouts are not a goal, but just the means to that end. Any reason for doing sports needs a hope behind it in order to move or will oneself to action. Along with hope, understood as a golden mean, we find despair on the one hand and 'false hope' on the other. Both are corruptions of hope seen daily in the world of sport. To manage hope in sport practices correctly offers a path to success in sport at all levels. Love is at the apex of the theological virtues. There are many formulations of love both in ancient Greek and Roman times: eros, agape, caritas, amor. Each has its special characteristic meaning also in sport. In sport we can see laughter and tears because any love is connected with highest human joy and deepest depression. Yet, in summation, it is argued that love in sport must be understood as the binding force and source of cooperation and fulfilled life for any athlete qua human being.
PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORT STUDIES AND RESEARCH, 2017
Two alternative ancient views on medicine and health can be distinguished in western antiquity: f... more Two alternative ancient views on medicine and health can be distinguished in western antiquity: first, that the knowledge of the doctor is sufficient, and second, that health is primarily a consequence of adapting one’s own life to the wisdom of the body. The body works according to its own laws, has its own “logic,” and speaks its own language. Therefore, listening to the body can be an important source of
information for a healthy human life. The body is not merely an object for human manipulation and “the prison of the soul,” but a source of learning and knowledge. It seems that people rarely listen to their own bodies; however, the ancient wisdom of listening to the body is still present and cultivated in modern sports training. Good athletes and trainers are the ones who learn from the body and recognize its
messages. In this article, we focus on four aspects of wisdom of the body, presented through four virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The body teaches us temperance and justice; for example, when someone exaggerates too much, the body produces the feeling of pain. The body is a source of fortitude and persistence when rest and healing is needed. The body is a source of prudence or truth about
oneself when we face the physical demands of sport. Therefore, through modern sports practices, the perennial wisdom of the body is still accessible to the modern man.
Cardinal virtues present one of the oldest anthropological theories and ethical systems in the we... more Cardinal virtues present one of the oldest anthropological theories and ethical systems in the western philosophical tradition. Among other great ancient philosophers, Plato talked about four main virtues: prudence (practical wisdom),
justice, fortitude (courage), and temperance (moderation). As these virtues are not arbitrary, but instead correspond to some fundamental characteristics of human beings, they are not only useful for moral decision-making, but they also present an original anthropological theory. This paper focuses on the role of prudence in sports. Prudence has two aspects: it is a) cognitive, and b) decision-making. Perceptively it is turned toward reality, “imperatively” toward volition and action. As such, it is a fundamental virtue in sports practices. First of all, its role is in the cognition
of the specific situations an athlete is in. In addition, it gives instructions as to how to respond to them. Prudence directed into the cognition of reality involves two main elements, namely memoria and docilitas. The role of memoria consists in developing and enriching special motor memory from past experiences, and so it is one of the goals of any practice of technical elements. Docilitas is the kind
of open-mindedness which recognizes the true variety of things and situations to be experienced and does not cage itself in any presumption of deceptive knowledge.
As such, it can be recognized in the concept of sports as “knowledge-gaining activity”. The other aspect of prudence is directed towards deciding what actions to take. With
solertia, the athlete can swiftly, but with open eyes and clear-sighted vision, decide to do something good in a concrete situation. The second element is providentia (foresight), meaning the capacity to estimate with a sure instinct for the future whether or not a particular action will lead to the realization of a goal. This is demanded of all sports, especially competitive sports, where the deciding factor
between top and average athletes is often not physical or technical abilities but the intellectual capacity (or tactics) to foresee what is going to happen on the field in the
next few moments.
Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, Vol 42, No 4 (2012), 2012
BACKGROUND: The most fundamental question about sport is what is sport, what is its origin and it... more BACKGROUND: The most fundamental question about sport is what is sport, what is its origin and its essence? Because sport is connected with the human being (there is no sport without human beings) different anthropological visions of human being result in different understandings of sport. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to present and explain an anthropological vision of the human being and society as was developed by René Girard. In his view mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism have a central role in any culture, religion or other secular institutions. The explanatory power of his theory is presented when it is applied to the world of sport. METHODS: Our methodology is philosophical, involving conceptual analysis and the application of the outcomes to sport. RESULTS: In the paper we show that mimetic desire can be recognized as one of the important origins of recreational and competitive sports. When people recognize what other people are able to do or accomplish in sport this invokes the mimetic desire as a result of which motivation for sport and competiveness can arise. But mimetic rivalry leads to an unstable situation. Therefore a second element is needed: Scapegoating in sport is presented as a mean to preserve the good reputation of sport, to keep peace in sport as well as in society as a whole. Finally, the attempt to overcome mimetic desire and scapegoating in sport is presented and the question if this is worth trying at all is opened. CONCLUSIONS: The theories of mimetic desire and scapegoat mechanism have great explanatory power when they are applied to the field of sport. They could reveal us some hidden motives and forces which drive athletes and sport as a whole. Moreover, they exceed the world of sport and reveal the influence of sport on the whole of society.
KEY WORDS: mimesis, Girard, sport, philosophy, philosophy of sport
PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORT. STUDIES AND RESEARCH, 2012
There is only one real problem each human being faces: death. Nobody lives eternally. In essence,... more There is only one real problem each human being faces: death. Nobody lives eternally. In essence, humans are mortal beings; beings-unto-death, as framed by Heidegger. But human beings are never reconciled with this fact. Since ancient times, humans have been searching for ways to become immortal and to somehow stay alive eternally. In this paper we will focus on one specific common understanding of immortality among people – immortality in memory. Since ancient Greece, success and fame have meant not only different privileges in the community but also achieving symbolic immortality. Artists, politicians, and athletes – all of them were trying to become well known. So other people would remember them after their death, praise them, and keep them in their memory. In times when transcendental immortality was not known (or accepted), this was the only means to becoming immortal. To this day, lists and statues of ancient Greek Olympic champions have survived. So in a way champions are still alive – they achieved immortality. With the rise of metaphysics in philosophy and the also the Christian understanding of transcendental immortality, the need to be famous, to stay alive in memory, has declined. But nowadays, when the faith in transcendental immortality is weak, once again the ancient notion of immortality is becoming more and more powerful. Being famous, recognized among others, staying in the memory of others – this can be one of the important motives in striving to become a champion in the field of sport.
In the last decades virtue ethics in sport has gained much attention. This is not surprising beca... more In the last decades virtue ethics in sport has gained much attention. This is not surprising because it seems that some characteristics of this ethical theory successfully respond to very complex situations in sport. The experience shows that merely rules of particular sport do not assure moral sport actions. Already Plato has pointed out that there are two guides of moral actions: laws (or rules) directing us from outside and virtues directing us from inside. He was convinced that virtues are better than laws, since it does not make any sense to promulgate laws among non-virtues persons, because they will disregard them. On the other hand the virtues people are able to find out what is good and what is not regardless of laws. Therefore, it is important to become a good person, since only then also laws or rules make sense. Plato exposes four main virtues: justice, prudence (wisdom), courage (fortitude), and temperance (moderation, self-control). But the question arises why only four virtues and not more? Plato responds that these four virtues represent the whole of virtues. (Republic, 428a) These virtues are evidently connected with Plato‘s construction of human soul. But these four cardinal virtues are not the only virtues, neither in Plato‘s philosophy, but they are the 'hinges', on which all the other virtues turn. They are the necessary foundation and prerequisite for all the others. So, which role can be ascribed to cardinal virtues in sport? For Plato the first and the most important is virtue of justice. It seems that it is also preferential in sport, especially when we think about sport competitions. But, as emphasized the medieval philosophy the source of justice and other virtues is reason. Reason is the essence of human nature and of all moral acts. Therefore to act in accordance with reason – to have the virtue of prudence is the first demand. While prudence refers to individual alone, justice refers to others. Every sport competition, contest, is therefore the field of virtue of justice. The basis of justice is to give everyone his due. Justice put us in a position of a debtor to a fellow-man. This requires that we play fair and honorable. Therefore donated victory is not righteous because it is not owed. Besides that, virtue of justice arranges matters between the individuals and between the individual and community which has a great impact on morality in sport. The third virtue is courage that is directed towards individual itself. Plato already recognizes sport activity as a main mean for development of this virtue. (Laches, 190c) To be courageous and to endure till the end is the essence of courage. It is obvious that courage is essential for any quality sport. The last one is the virtue of temperance which is also directed towards individual itself. At a first glance it appears not suitable for modern times. But, if we take a closer look it can be seen that the athletes cannot succeed without renounce of many unnecessary things.
PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORT. STUDIES AND RESEARCH, 2011
"The modern lifestyle, with its emphasis on enjoyment and immoderation, could lead a human being ... more "The modern lifestyle, with its emphasis on enjoyment and immoderation, could lead a human being to the point where he is not a master of himself anymore. Inner desires and outer pressures force a man to take those actions that are not in accordance with his rational human nature and that are not
good for him. According to the classical philosophical view of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, this clearly shows the inner slavery of modern man. Temperance, moderation or asceticism today seem old fashioned and unnecessary virtues; nevertheless, it is obvious that many problems of modern
societies have roots in the absence of these virtues. These problems include a high percentage of obese population, different addictions and other health problems concerning the immoderate life style. It seems that nowadays enjoyment is the highest imperative for the individual and for society as a
whole. However, these days it is possible to recognize the revival of these virtues. This paper points out the case of sport where these virtues are still cultivated and highly appreciated. At first this may seem somehow strange, because many times sport is perceived as connected with pleasure, fun and excess, but in reality sport demands much of participants. It could be even
said that professional athletes are modern ascetics, and a big part of recreational sport is all but not enjoyment. In conclusion we can assert that virtues acquired in the field of sport can indeed help a human being to live a better life in general.
KEYWORDS: sport, temperance, virtue, philosophy of sport, education"
DOI: 10.2478/pcssr-2014-0001, May 2014
Sport is the research object of variety of sciences. But, what is sport and how to think it? The ... more Sport is the research object of variety of sciences. But, what is sport and how to think it? The aim of this article is to give some basic thoughts about the nature of sport and to present, confront and evaluate different concepts of science with their different rival approaches and understanding of sport. In general three major groups of sciences can be differentiated: natural sciences and social sciences which share common quantitative (empirical and mathematical based) methodology of research, and human sciences or humanities with their method of reflection (the analysis of concepts and rational argumentation) which go beyond empirically measurable things. Because of different scientific approaches, different understanding and concepts of sport arise which try to prevail over in society. Our comprehension of sport is therefore greatly influenced by pre-accepted methodological position. If sport is equated with physical human body movement, then natural science with its empirical methodology seems to be adequate way for cognition of sport. For social scientists sport has important role in society, therefore it cannot be reduced to mere “body movement”. But humanists would say that sport is more than “body in movement” with influence in society: sport is a powerful idea or concept which needs a special unempirical method of research. Therefore human sciences with their rational reflection of human (personal) experiences can reveal us additional, but yet familiar dimensions of sport. Although their method is not empirically objective, they can deal with important life matters, moreover, their “a priori” qualitative approach to sport can give meaning and make sense out of sport, reflect about the aim and purpose of sport as well as make some ethical considerations about sport. In the article some examples are given and some problems regarding reduction of sport science to just one scientific approach are considered.
The main question of classical metaphysic whose founder is primarily Aristotle is question of bei... more The main question of classical metaphysic whose founder is primarily Aristotle is question of being: what is being as being. Starting of this source we will think about sport. What is sport? Is sport being, and if it is, what it is, how it is, in what manner it is being? For Aristotle being is what really and primarily is and what exists in itself and not in someone else. We can see that sport is not being in itself since it does not have its own Being. If the sport, however, had Being as a part of his essence, than it would exist in its own power and therefore there would not be a possibility of its non-existence. So sport could derive from itself and would exist on his own. But this is contrary to our experience of sport. Sport does not have his own Being as something that would have to belong to him. But, however, sport is something. To understand this phenomenon we will take in consideration Aristotle-sholastic tradition and its understanding of metaphysic of substance. Every being is being either in itself or in some other self-being and there is no third possibility. Indeed, we can find sport in the group of beings existing in some other self-being. There is no doubt that sport exists but only through man. Man is being in itself (substance) which has its own Being. But sport can be only by adequate carrying agent - man - without whom it could not be. So sport is a kind of accident (the mode of being which can exist only in another being, as a modification or attribute of a substance which exist in and for itself). In the further division we can indicate sport as an essential accident of man on the contrary of contingency accident since the source of sport is man in itself and not something from outside. And the man as a substance is revealing itself through such essential accident as it is sport. So, discovering sport in it fullness and richness helps us also to deeper discover man itself.
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 14th INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON OLYMPIC STUDIES FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS 6 JULY – 6 AUGUST 2006 PROCEEDINGS ANCIENT OLYMPIA 002s020 10-06-09 10:42 ™ÂÏ›‰·3, Aug 2006
“The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man…”
... more “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man…”
From Homer’s poems it is clear that Greek people liked sport very much. Originally the single aim in Greek athletics was to win. Competitions in Olympia had been called ‘competitions for wreath’ (stefanitis agon) and not ‘competitions for money’ (chrematitis agon). But, why there was such emphasis on winning, on being the best? Sport competitions gave athletes possibility to test and show their arête, their virtues. The meaning of winning was not in defeating other competitors, but to test oneself; to uncover and recognize the truth (alethéia) and the true value of oneself. But in 5th century BC the change in attitude toward original agon become more and more obvious. From that time on, material prize was becoming the main motive for being involved in sport. Adding material prizes to sport represents, as we will see, the first blow to the original value of sport. However, some ancient Greek thinkers noticed that sport did not have meaning just in earning prizes for the best few and making the rest of polis citizens feel happy, but could have a deeper meaning for the human being itself. One of them was Plato (5th-4th century BC). He found the mission of his life was the education of men. So he touched sport many times in his dialogs and exposed its role in the education of young people. For him all education is directed to the development of virtue. The value of sport he found in development of virtue of fortitude. But for him gymnastics and music paideía create just effects of Good, but not the knowledge of Good itself. The later is the aim of philosophical education. In the activity in accordance with reason – in philosophy – Plato saw final point of Greek paideía, as the process of realization of highest human abilities. It is interesting that Plato, who was an athlete himself, didn’t go deeper into the philosophical understanding of sport. He never asked the fundamental philosophical question, question about ‘what is something?’ – also about sport. But, if we want to ‘use’ Plato’s philosophy, we must ask the question ‘what is sport?’. So, what can Plato’s philosophy tell us about what is sport and what is good sport? Probably Plato's best answer to this question can be found in the basic concepts of his philosophy regarding his hierarchical division of the state and human soul on three parts. Since the sport is derived from man also the goodness of sport can be divided in three stages. The lowest stage of sport corresponds to the first part of soul – the appetite soul. On this stage sport is based on the gaining of material goods through the prizes of the competitions. In the philosophic view, this is the lowest possible stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul. Sport on this stage is based on the original ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in winning and showing arête. The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, sport corresponds to the third part of the soul and is the best kind. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with another contestant but to compete and win over oneself. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time; the seconds and meters are no more important because true good sport goes beyond these borders since it is the cognition and improvement of self that is the most important and even essential thing. As Plato clearly shows us, it is not worth being active in sport if the aim of it is beyond us. It is not worth to do sport just to earn money and forget about improving yourself. Beside that not all people have the capabilities to earn money from sport. But everyone can benefit from sport if he takes it in the original ancient meaning: to test myself, to learn something about myself and not only to become better in sport, but to fulfill my potentials as a human being as well: to become better man. This is true and lasting reward which sport can give to everyone of us. And that is the way to make goal of Olympism (“…to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man…”) real.
Sport, Nation, Nationalism. Proceedings of 8th ISHPES Seminar and International Conference on Social Science and Sport, Aug 2006
No one observing political events of the contemporary world can deny the continuing growth of nat... more No one observing political events of the contemporary world can deny the continuing growth of nationalism. Because the term 'nationalism' had got negative connotations in past decades, some people today oversimplify, change and apologize it with term 'patriotism'. Doing this they want to show that this is indeed something good and acceptable because it is love for one’s nation and country. From ancient times on has in this story of nationalism and patriotism played an important role also sport with its competitions. Competitions between citizens of different communities were great opportunity for growth of both, nationalism and patriotism. It is no doubt about the adequacy of sport for these purposes, but the question arise which of these two (if any) is closer to the spirit of sport and (for us) more acceptable. We will try to answer this question on the basis of Plato’s philosophy. First we will take a look on what is nationalism and patriotism and afterwards we will try to define what is (good) sport using Plato’s philosophy. These findings will enable us to point out for what purposes can be sport used without mutilation of its essence.
Movement - the Art of Life. Charles University in Prague. The Karolinium Press 2006., 2006
Sport is a kind of activity or culture which is especially characteristically for man. Despite th... more Sport is a kind of activity or culture which is especially characteristically for man. Despite that the sport is recognized as a mans creature, it is interesting that this creation is - in some meaning - ahead of man and that man is no more intelligibility (clear) about it. This is situation similar to the on in the world of modern technics (technical science). And this undistinctness of sport fill men with wonder, which is according to Plato and Aristotle the beginning of philosophy, and beside that – in accordance with hermeneutics – return back in the past to the origins of sport because this could help us to better comprehend it. Possibly we can compare this returning to the past with the one which Heidegger established; the returning to the beginning of the western thought because of the oblivion of the Being. The source of this returning is the question about Being: What is Being? Similar as Heidegger proceed from the factuality of the Being when he try to understand it, because we all have some kind of previous understanding of it, also we have some previous understanding of sport when we try to understand it. Everyone have some understanding of sport although he or she doesn’t know what sport really is. And this pre-understanding of sport call us to ask a question ‘what is sport?’ once again. This is the start point from where we will begin our research and the first stop will be in ancient Greece at Plato. In Plato’s times sport was very well known. Also Plato mention sport on different places in his dialogs. He include it in his exoteric philosophical thinking and show that sport is very good mean for upbringing and education of man. Farther from that Plato didn’t go. Although he frequently asked questions ‘what something really is?’ he didn’t asked question ‘what sport (or athletics of that time) really is?’. So we can ask this question and try to answer it in accordance with Plato’s own philosophical cognitions. This will be the first step on our way which already call us to go farther and once again ask ‘what sport really is?’ in accordance with philosophy of Plato’s scholar Aristotle. But this is the work for the future.
Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, Jan 1, 2009
"One of Plato’s most common questions found in his dialogues is “What is something?” By asking th... more "One of Plato’s most common questions found in his dialogues is “What is something?” By asking this question Plato usually brought his co-speakers to the recognition that in fact they do not have a full comprehension of what something is, although they have a partial comprehension of it. The awareness of one’s incomplete cognition is the first step to be made on the philosophic way to truth. As in ancient times also today Plato asks us – the modern philosophers of sport – “What is sport?” or more precisely “What is good sport?” Probably the best of Plato’s answers to this question can be found in the basic concepts of his philosophy regarding his hierarchical division of the state and human soul into three parts. Since sport is derived from human being also the goodness of sport can be divided into three stages. The lowest stage of sport corresponds to the first part of the soul – the appetite soul. On this stage sport is based on the gaining of material goods through prizes won at competitions. In the philosophic view, this is the lowest possible
stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul.
Sport at this stage is based on the elementary ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in the winning of honour and glory.
The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, also the sport
corresponding to the third part of the soul is the best. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with
other contestants, since it can achieve it’s fulfilment in perfect execution of movement or exercise, in which the perfect
cooperation between reason (soul) and body is attained. At this stage of sport it is the most important to compete and win over one’s self, and this can be achieved by everyone, without regard to his/her physical abilities in comparison with others. In Plato’s view, good sport is the sport directed toward the fulfillment of self, all the way to the ideal – the idea itself. And only sport like that can bring true contentment to the human – the reasonable being. With this sport is essentially intervening in the sphere of philosophical cognition. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time, but indeed, as Plato shows, the true good sport goes beyond these borders. In this manner sport goes beyond the physical world and touches the everlasting and unchangeable world of ideas.
And the world of ideas is for Plato tópos where the very truth reveals itself. So, sport could be a useful means for the
philosophical investigation of humans and the world."
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Faculty of Arts, department of Philosophy., Apr 4, 2014
Clanki v Slovenscini by Jernej Pisk
Vaščan, 2023
»Poljane so dale dva moža, ki sta usodno zaznamovala slovensko politično in duhovno življenje ob ... more »Poljane so dale dva moža, ki sta usodno zaznamovala slovensko politično in duhovno življenje ob prelomu iz 19. v 20. stoletje in vse do druge svetovne vojne. To sta Ivan Tavčar (1851–1923) in Aleš
Ušeničnik (1868–1952), prvi odvetnik, politik in pisatelj, drugi teolog, filozof in sociolog, prvi praktik in umetnik, drugi teoretik in duhovnik. Prvi je skupaj z gorenjskim rojakom Ivanom Hribarjem postal prvak slovenskega liberalizma, drugi je ob Janezu Ev. Kreku, rojaku s selške strani, postal vodilni ideolog slovenskega katolicizma v prvi polovici 20. stoletja. Res je zanimivo, da se Tavčar, ki je bil tako gorak na klerikalce, ob svojega rojaka skorajda ni obregal, nemara tudi zato, ker je bil 17 let mlajši.«
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Papers in English by Jernej Pisk
thinking is the product of technological and digital paradigms of thinking. Therefore, already on itself it is a part of a problem which we tend to solve itself with. Often it is presented as the aim of education – to become a critical thinker – but in its best it can just be a very limited tool to achieve its goal. Some people understand critical thinking as an ability to disapprove of everything – a kind of modern sophistry.
Critical thinking is too naïve in its belief that it could in itself create a new knowledge, forgetting other more fundamental sources of knowledge, like understanding and creative thinking. It is too close to modern rationalistic ideology which believes that pure reason is the only way to knowledge. Therefore, some feminist scholars criticize it because it doesn’t consider specific woman’s way of thinking. It is also too
individualistic and it neglects dialog and cooperation with others, as first ancient critical thinkers suggested. It’s too idealistic, too virtual and hypothetical, often out of real, physical world. Finally, it is still a big question if it is possible to teach and learn it. As this paper will show, critical thinking alone doesn’t have such redeeming power as many are convinced. However, after identifying some problems of critical
thinking, it is possible to make some corrections to it, so critical thinking could serve as a holistic human education.
information for a healthy human life. The body is not merely an object for human manipulation and “the prison of the soul,” but a source of learning and knowledge. It seems that people rarely listen to their own bodies; however, the ancient wisdom of listening to the body is still present and cultivated in modern sports training. Good athletes and trainers are the ones who learn from the body and recognize its
messages. In this article, we focus on four aspects of wisdom of the body, presented through four virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The body teaches us temperance and justice; for example, when someone exaggerates too much, the body produces the feeling of pain. The body is a source of fortitude and persistence when rest and healing is needed. The body is a source of prudence or truth about
oneself when we face the physical demands of sport. Therefore, through modern sports practices, the perennial wisdom of the body is still accessible to the modern man.
justice, fortitude (courage), and temperance (moderation). As these virtues are not arbitrary, but instead correspond to some fundamental characteristics of human beings, they are not only useful for moral decision-making, but they also present an original anthropological theory. This paper focuses on the role of prudence in sports. Prudence has two aspects: it is a) cognitive, and b) decision-making. Perceptively it is turned toward reality, “imperatively” toward volition and action. As such, it is a fundamental virtue in sports practices. First of all, its role is in the cognition
of the specific situations an athlete is in. In addition, it gives instructions as to how to respond to them. Prudence directed into the cognition of reality involves two main elements, namely memoria and docilitas. The role of memoria consists in developing and enriching special motor memory from past experiences, and so it is one of the goals of any practice of technical elements. Docilitas is the kind
of open-mindedness which recognizes the true variety of things and situations to be experienced and does not cage itself in any presumption of deceptive knowledge.
As such, it can be recognized in the concept of sports as “knowledge-gaining activity”. The other aspect of prudence is directed towards deciding what actions to take. With
solertia, the athlete can swiftly, but with open eyes and clear-sighted vision, decide to do something good in a concrete situation. The second element is providentia (foresight), meaning the capacity to estimate with a sure instinct for the future whether or not a particular action will lead to the realization of a goal. This is demanded of all sports, especially competitive sports, where the deciding factor
between top and average athletes is often not physical or technical abilities but the intellectual capacity (or tactics) to foresee what is going to happen on the field in the
next few moments.
KEY WORDS: mimesis, Girard, sport, philosophy, philosophy of sport
good for him. According to the classical philosophical view of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, this clearly shows the inner slavery of modern man. Temperance, moderation or asceticism today seem old fashioned and unnecessary virtues; nevertheless, it is obvious that many problems of modern
societies have roots in the absence of these virtues. These problems include a high percentage of obese population, different addictions and other health problems concerning the immoderate life style. It seems that nowadays enjoyment is the highest imperative for the individual and for society as a
whole. However, these days it is possible to recognize the revival of these virtues. This paper points out the case of sport where these virtues are still cultivated and highly appreciated. At first this may seem somehow strange, because many times sport is perceived as connected with pleasure, fun and excess, but in reality sport demands much of participants. It could be even
said that professional athletes are modern ascetics, and a big part of recreational sport is all but not enjoyment. In conclusion we can assert that virtues acquired in the field of sport can indeed help a human being to live a better life in general.
KEYWORDS: sport, temperance, virtue, philosophy of sport, education"
From Homer’s poems it is clear that Greek people liked sport very much. Originally the single aim in Greek athletics was to win. Competitions in Olympia had been called ‘competitions for wreath’ (stefanitis agon) and not ‘competitions for money’ (chrematitis agon). But, why there was such emphasis on winning, on being the best? Sport competitions gave athletes possibility to test and show their arête, their virtues. The meaning of winning was not in defeating other competitors, but to test oneself; to uncover and recognize the truth (alethéia) and the true value of oneself. But in 5th century BC the change in attitude toward original agon become more and more obvious. From that time on, material prize was becoming the main motive for being involved in sport. Adding material prizes to sport represents, as we will see, the first blow to the original value of sport. However, some ancient Greek thinkers noticed that sport did not have meaning just in earning prizes for the best few and making the rest of polis citizens feel happy, but could have a deeper meaning for the human being itself. One of them was Plato (5th-4th century BC). He found the mission of his life was the education of men. So he touched sport many times in his dialogs and exposed its role in the education of young people. For him all education is directed to the development of virtue. The value of sport he found in development of virtue of fortitude. But for him gymnastics and music paideía create just effects of Good, but not the knowledge of Good itself. The later is the aim of philosophical education. In the activity in accordance with reason – in philosophy – Plato saw final point of Greek paideía, as the process of realization of highest human abilities. It is interesting that Plato, who was an athlete himself, didn’t go deeper into the philosophical understanding of sport. He never asked the fundamental philosophical question, question about ‘what is something?’ – also about sport. But, if we want to ‘use’ Plato’s philosophy, we must ask the question ‘what is sport?’. So, what can Plato’s philosophy tell us about what is sport and what is good sport? Probably Plato's best answer to this question can be found in the basic concepts of his philosophy regarding his hierarchical division of the state and human soul on three parts. Since the sport is derived from man also the goodness of sport can be divided in three stages. The lowest stage of sport corresponds to the first part of soul – the appetite soul. On this stage sport is based on the gaining of material goods through the prizes of the competitions. In the philosophic view, this is the lowest possible stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul. Sport on this stage is based on the original ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in winning and showing arête. The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, sport corresponds to the third part of the soul and is the best kind. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with another contestant but to compete and win over oneself. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time; the seconds and meters are no more important because true good sport goes beyond these borders since it is the cognition and improvement of self that is the most important and even essential thing. As Plato clearly shows us, it is not worth being active in sport if the aim of it is beyond us. It is not worth to do sport just to earn money and forget about improving yourself. Beside that not all people have the capabilities to earn money from sport. But everyone can benefit from sport if he takes it in the original ancient meaning: to test myself, to learn something about myself and not only to become better in sport, but to fulfill my potentials as a human being as well: to become better man. This is true and lasting reward which sport can give to everyone of us. And that is the way to make goal of Olympism (“…to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man…”) real.
stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul.
Sport at this stage is based on the elementary ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in the winning of honour and glory.
The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, also the sport
corresponding to the third part of the soul is the best. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with
other contestants, since it can achieve it’s fulfilment in perfect execution of movement or exercise, in which the perfect
cooperation between reason (soul) and body is attained. At this stage of sport it is the most important to compete and win over one’s self, and this can be achieved by everyone, without regard to his/her physical abilities in comparison with others. In Plato’s view, good sport is the sport directed toward the fulfillment of self, all the way to the ideal – the idea itself. And only sport like that can bring true contentment to the human – the reasonable being. With this sport is essentially intervening in the sphere of philosophical cognition. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time, but indeed, as Plato shows, the true good sport goes beyond these borders. In this manner sport goes beyond the physical world and touches the everlasting and unchangeable world of ideas.
And the world of ideas is for Plato tópos where the very truth reveals itself. So, sport could be a useful means for the
philosophical investigation of humans and the world."
Clanki v Slovenscini by Jernej Pisk
Ušeničnik (1868–1952), prvi odvetnik, politik in pisatelj, drugi teolog, filozof in sociolog, prvi praktik in umetnik, drugi teoretik in duhovnik. Prvi je skupaj z gorenjskim rojakom Ivanom Hribarjem postal prvak slovenskega liberalizma, drugi je ob Janezu Ev. Kreku, rojaku s selške strani, postal vodilni ideolog slovenskega katolicizma v prvi polovici 20. stoletja. Res je zanimivo, da se Tavčar, ki je bil tako gorak na klerikalce, ob svojega rojaka skorajda ni obregal, nemara tudi zato, ker je bil 17 let mlajši.«
thinking is the product of technological and digital paradigms of thinking. Therefore, already on itself it is a part of a problem which we tend to solve itself with. Often it is presented as the aim of education – to become a critical thinker – but in its best it can just be a very limited tool to achieve its goal. Some people understand critical thinking as an ability to disapprove of everything – a kind of modern sophistry.
Critical thinking is too naïve in its belief that it could in itself create a new knowledge, forgetting other more fundamental sources of knowledge, like understanding and creative thinking. It is too close to modern rationalistic ideology which believes that pure reason is the only way to knowledge. Therefore, some feminist scholars criticize it because it doesn’t consider specific woman’s way of thinking. It is also too
individualistic and it neglects dialog and cooperation with others, as first ancient critical thinkers suggested. It’s too idealistic, too virtual and hypothetical, often out of real, physical world. Finally, it is still a big question if it is possible to teach and learn it. As this paper will show, critical thinking alone doesn’t have such redeeming power as many are convinced. However, after identifying some problems of critical
thinking, it is possible to make some corrections to it, so critical thinking could serve as a holistic human education.
information for a healthy human life. The body is not merely an object for human manipulation and “the prison of the soul,” but a source of learning and knowledge. It seems that people rarely listen to their own bodies; however, the ancient wisdom of listening to the body is still present and cultivated in modern sports training. Good athletes and trainers are the ones who learn from the body and recognize its
messages. In this article, we focus on four aspects of wisdom of the body, presented through four virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The body teaches us temperance and justice; for example, when someone exaggerates too much, the body produces the feeling of pain. The body is a source of fortitude and persistence when rest and healing is needed. The body is a source of prudence or truth about
oneself when we face the physical demands of sport. Therefore, through modern sports practices, the perennial wisdom of the body is still accessible to the modern man.
justice, fortitude (courage), and temperance (moderation). As these virtues are not arbitrary, but instead correspond to some fundamental characteristics of human beings, they are not only useful for moral decision-making, but they also present an original anthropological theory. This paper focuses on the role of prudence in sports. Prudence has two aspects: it is a) cognitive, and b) decision-making. Perceptively it is turned toward reality, “imperatively” toward volition and action. As such, it is a fundamental virtue in sports practices. First of all, its role is in the cognition
of the specific situations an athlete is in. In addition, it gives instructions as to how to respond to them. Prudence directed into the cognition of reality involves two main elements, namely memoria and docilitas. The role of memoria consists in developing and enriching special motor memory from past experiences, and so it is one of the goals of any practice of technical elements. Docilitas is the kind
of open-mindedness which recognizes the true variety of things and situations to be experienced and does not cage itself in any presumption of deceptive knowledge.
As such, it can be recognized in the concept of sports as “knowledge-gaining activity”. The other aspect of prudence is directed towards deciding what actions to take. With
solertia, the athlete can swiftly, but with open eyes and clear-sighted vision, decide to do something good in a concrete situation. The second element is providentia (foresight), meaning the capacity to estimate with a sure instinct for the future whether or not a particular action will lead to the realization of a goal. This is demanded of all sports, especially competitive sports, where the deciding factor
between top and average athletes is often not physical or technical abilities but the intellectual capacity (or tactics) to foresee what is going to happen on the field in the
next few moments.
KEY WORDS: mimesis, Girard, sport, philosophy, philosophy of sport
good for him. According to the classical philosophical view of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, this clearly shows the inner slavery of modern man. Temperance, moderation or asceticism today seem old fashioned and unnecessary virtues; nevertheless, it is obvious that many problems of modern
societies have roots in the absence of these virtues. These problems include a high percentage of obese population, different addictions and other health problems concerning the immoderate life style. It seems that nowadays enjoyment is the highest imperative for the individual and for society as a
whole. However, these days it is possible to recognize the revival of these virtues. This paper points out the case of sport where these virtues are still cultivated and highly appreciated. At first this may seem somehow strange, because many times sport is perceived as connected with pleasure, fun and excess, but in reality sport demands much of participants. It could be even
said that professional athletes are modern ascetics, and a big part of recreational sport is all but not enjoyment. In conclusion we can assert that virtues acquired in the field of sport can indeed help a human being to live a better life in general.
KEYWORDS: sport, temperance, virtue, philosophy of sport, education"
From Homer’s poems it is clear that Greek people liked sport very much. Originally the single aim in Greek athletics was to win. Competitions in Olympia had been called ‘competitions for wreath’ (stefanitis agon) and not ‘competitions for money’ (chrematitis agon). But, why there was such emphasis on winning, on being the best? Sport competitions gave athletes possibility to test and show their arête, their virtues. The meaning of winning was not in defeating other competitors, but to test oneself; to uncover and recognize the truth (alethéia) and the true value of oneself. But in 5th century BC the change in attitude toward original agon become more and more obvious. From that time on, material prize was becoming the main motive for being involved in sport. Adding material prizes to sport represents, as we will see, the first blow to the original value of sport. However, some ancient Greek thinkers noticed that sport did not have meaning just in earning prizes for the best few and making the rest of polis citizens feel happy, but could have a deeper meaning for the human being itself. One of them was Plato (5th-4th century BC). He found the mission of his life was the education of men. So he touched sport many times in his dialogs and exposed its role in the education of young people. For him all education is directed to the development of virtue. The value of sport he found in development of virtue of fortitude. But for him gymnastics and music paideía create just effects of Good, but not the knowledge of Good itself. The later is the aim of philosophical education. In the activity in accordance with reason – in philosophy – Plato saw final point of Greek paideía, as the process of realization of highest human abilities. It is interesting that Plato, who was an athlete himself, didn’t go deeper into the philosophical understanding of sport. He never asked the fundamental philosophical question, question about ‘what is something?’ – also about sport. But, if we want to ‘use’ Plato’s philosophy, we must ask the question ‘what is sport?’. So, what can Plato’s philosophy tell us about what is sport and what is good sport? Probably Plato's best answer to this question can be found in the basic concepts of his philosophy regarding his hierarchical division of the state and human soul on three parts. Since the sport is derived from man also the goodness of sport can be divided in three stages. The lowest stage of sport corresponds to the first part of soul – the appetite soul. On this stage sport is based on the gaining of material goods through the prizes of the competitions. In the philosophic view, this is the lowest possible stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul. Sport on this stage is based on the original ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in winning and showing arête. The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, sport corresponds to the third part of the soul and is the best kind. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with another contestant but to compete and win over oneself. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time; the seconds and meters are no more important because true good sport goes beyond these borders since it is the cognition and improvement of self that is the most important and even essential thing. As Plato clearly shows us, it is not worth being active in sport if the aim of it is beyond us. It is not worth to do sport just to earn money and forget about improving yourself. Beside that not all people have the capabilities to earn money from sport. But everyone can benefit from sport if he takes it in the original ancient meaning: to test myself, to learn something about myself and not only to become better in sport, but to fulfill my potentials as a human being as well: to become better man. This is true and lasting reward which sport can give to everyone of us. And that is the way to make goal of Olympism (“…to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man…”) real.
stage of goodness of sport. The second stage of sport corresponds to the second part of the soul – the emotional soul.
Sport at this stage is based on the elementary ancient agon, which seeks fulfilment in the winning of honour and glory.
The greatest and the most superior is the third part of the soul – the reasonable soul. According to this, also the sport
corresponding to the third part of the soul is the best. For this kind of sport it is no longer necessary to compete with
other contestants, since it can achieve it’s fulfilment in perfect execution of movement or exercise, in which the perfect
cooperation between reason (soul) and body is attained. At this stage of sport it is the most important to compete and win over one’s self, and this can be achieved by everyone, without regard to his/her physical abilities in comparison with others. In Plato’s view, good sport is the sport directed toward the fulfillment of self, all the way to the ideal – the idea itself. And only sport like that can bring true contentment to the human – the reasonable being. With this sport is essentially intervening in the sphere of philosophical cognition. The goodness of sport is no more determined by physical dimensions of space and time, but indeed, as Plato shows, the true good sport goes beyond these borders. In this manner sport goes beyond the physical world and touches the everlasting and unchangeable world of ideas.
And the world of ideas is for Plato tópos where the very truth reveals itself. So, sport could be a useful means for the
philosophical investigation of humans and the world."
Ušeničnik (1868–1952), prvi odvetnik, politik in pisatelj, drugi teolog, filozof in sociolog, prvi praktik in umetnik, drugi teoretik in duhovnik. Prvi je skupaj z gorenjskim rojakom Ivanom Hribarjem postal prvak slovenskega liberalizma, drugi je ob Janezu Ev. Kreku, rojaku s selške strani, postal vodilni ideolog slovenskega katolicizma v prvi polovici 20. stoletja. Res je zanimivo, da se Tavčar, ki je bil tako gorak na klerikalce, ob svojega rojaka skorajda ni obregal, nemara tudi zato, ker je bil 17 let mlajši.«
In nenazadnje: Zakaj sploh razmišljati o prostem letenju kot o igri? Če ima katerakoli igra smisel za odraslega človeka, potem ima tudi prosto letenje nek smisel. Četudi s prostim letenjem »nikamor ne pridemo«, saj se na koncu vedno vrnem nazaj na izhodišče (kjer me čaka avto), pa se prosto letenje jasno loči od dejavnosti dela, ki je instrumentalno koristno, medtem ko je igra prostega letenja koristna sama po sebi. Letimo, četudi z njim ničesar ne pridobimo (razne dodatnih nepotrebnih težav). Igramo se z naravo in narava se igra z nami.
Mnogo razprav, časa in denarja je usmerjenega v boj
proti dopingu. Doping je namreč nelegalen, zato naj bi bil
slab in nemoralen. Le redko pa je mogoče zaslediti pogled z
druge strani. Ob vsej energiji, usmerjeni v boj proti dopingu,
se zdi, da pozabljamo, zakaj je doping v športu sploh prisoten.
Blažiti simptome nima smisla, če si nismo vsaj nekoliko
na jasnem glede vzrokov bolezni. Nenazadnje je za uspešen
boj potrebno poznati sovražnika, proti kateremu se borimo.
Zakaj je doping prisoten v športu, zaradi katerih razlogov
ga športniki uporabljajo in zakaj so nekateri prepričani, da
bi doping morali dopustiti, ga legalizirati? Razmislek nima
namena rušiti prizadevanj za šport brez dopinga, ampak želi
opozoriti na kompleksnost situacije in neprimernost pavšalnih
obsodb športnikov, saj smo sokrivci za problem dopinga
v športu vsi.
//
The central ethical dilemma of modern sport is the issue of doping. A lot of discussion, time and money goes into the fight against doping. Because doping is illegal, it is bad and immoral. Rarely can one see the view from the other side. With all our energy focused on the fight against doping, it seems that we are forgetting why doping is present in sport. It does not make much sense to cure the symptoms unless we are clear about the causes of the disease. A successful battle requires knowing what the enemy is. Why is doping present in sports, what are the reasons for athletes to use it, and why are some convinced that doping should be allowed and legalized? The aim of this paper is not to ruin the pursuit of sports without doping, but wants to draw attention to the complexity of the situation and the inappropriateness of general convictions of athletes, because all of us are in a part responsible for the problem of doping in sports.
Ko je pred dobrim letom dni Slovensko društvo za filozofi-jo športa opozorilo na svojo aktivno vlogo v slovenski kineziološki stroki in znanosti z izdajo strokovne monografije »Premislimo šport: uvod v filozofijo športa« (Kreft et al., 2017), je v začetku letošnjega leta dokazalo, da slednje ni bilo naključje in potrdilo pomemben prispevek in angažiranost pri pojasnjevanju vprašanj sodobnega športa. V sodelovanju s Fakulteto za šport je društvo izdalo novo znanstveno monografijo »Filozofski pogled v drobovje športa«, športnega filozofa dr. Jerneja Piska. Gre za obsežno in celovito delo, ki je nastalo pod peresom navdušenega športnika smučarskega skakalca, nordijskega kombinatorca, gorskega tekača in triatlonca, ki je diplomiral na Fakulteti za šport (2002), ter magistriral (2006) in doktoriral (2014) na Oddelku za filozofijo Filozofske fakulte-te Univerze v Ljubljani. Danes se dr. Jernej Pisk ukvarja s poučevanje filozofije in športne vzgoje na področju srednjega šolstva. Od leta 2014 pa je tudi aktualni predsednik Slovenske-ga društva za filozofijo športa, ki je ustanovni član Evropskega združenja za filozofijo športa (eng. European Association for the Philosophy of Sport). Znanstveno monografijo »Filozofski pogled v drobovje športa« odlikuje jasen in razumljiv slog pisanja, ki uspešno lovi ravnotežje med znanstveno terminologijo in poljudnim pisanjem za širšo javnost. Gre za strokovno delo, ki je napisano na izviren in duhovit način, zato bodo po njem z veseljem posegli vsi, ki se srečujejo s teoretičnimi vprašanji vsakodnevnih praktičnih izzivov v vrhunskem športu, športni rekreaciji, šolski športni vzgoji, telesni dejavnosti za zdravje, kot tudi gibanju v širšem pomenu besede, od igre predšolskega otroka pa do gibanja z namenom opravljanja vsakodnevnih aktivnosti in delovnih nalog. Gre za eno temeljnih znanstvenih del na področju filozofije športa v slovenskem prostoru, ki celovito obravnava aktualna idejna, konceptualna in pojmovna vprašanja, s katerimi se vsakodnevno srečuje vsak športnik in športni navdušenec, športni pedagog in trener ne glede na športno panogo oz. naravo gibalne aktivnosti.
ki ga danes želimo s kritičnim mišljenjem reševati. Kritično mišljenje je pogosto predstavljeno kot cilj izobraževanja – postati kritični mislec –, toda v najboljšem primeru je lahko le zelo omejeno sredstvo. Nekateri danes kritično mišljenje razumejo kot sposobnost ovreči katerokoli trditev, v čemer se takšno mišljenje približuje obliki sofizma. V svojem prepričanju, da nas samo lahko pripelje do novih spoznanj, je kritično
mišljenje preveč naivno, saj pozablja na bolj temeljne oblike spoznavanja, kot sta npr. razumevanje in kreativno mišljenje. Kritično mišljenje je zelo blizu sodobni racionalistični ideologiji, ki verjame, da je čisti razum edina pot do spoznanja. Prav zaradi tega ga nekatere feministične raziskovalke zavračajo, saj ne upošteva specifično
ženskega načina spoznavanja. Kritično mišljenje je pogosto preveč individualistično, pri čemer pozablja na dialog in sodelovanje z drugimi, kar so nas učili že prvi kritični misleci – antični Grki. Je tudi preveč idealistično, virtualno in hipotetično, pogosto zunaj realnega, fizičnega sveta. Danes pa se odpirajo tudi velika vprašanja o tem, ali je kritično mišljenje sploh mogoče poučevati in se ga (na)učiti. Zato se zdi, da
kritično mišljenje samo po sebi nima takšne odrešilne moči, kot so prepričani mnogi. Ne glede na to, pa je priporočljivo poznati nekatere probleme sodobnega kritičnega mišljenja, saj je le tako mogoče narediti potrebne prilagoditve in dopolnitve, da bi s tem kritično mišljenje res lahko služilo celotnemu razvoju človeka.
Knjiga je mogoče dobiti pri Slovenskem društvu za filozofijo športa.
Organizers: Constantino Pereira Martins and João Emanuel Diogo.