271. The Philosophy of Sports feat. David Papineau

Apr 19, 2023

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Philosophical problems are all around us. From economics to games and sports, most people in the world are philosophizing every day, maybe without even realizing it.

David Papineau is a Professor of Philosophy of Science at the King’s College London. He’s written numerous books, including The Metaphysics of Sensory Experience and Knowing the Score: What Sports Can Teach Us About Philosophy (And What Philosophy Can Teach Us About Sports). David is also a visiting professor at City University of New York.

David and Greg discuss how philosophy can be applied to virtually anything, even sports. They delve into questions around the role sports play in our lives, what sports can reveal about conscious control and the philosophical puzzles regarding fandom.

*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

Episode Quotes:

How our performance function differs in sports

19:01: In sports, when you are competing, there's not much that can be left to unmonitored routine. I mean, there's a difference between somebody who's doing the vaulting horse in gymnastics or a hundred-meter sprint. There's a level of focus and intensity in competition that you can't reproduce every time in practice. And if you don't have it in mind now, we're competing. What's to tell your body that you're not in practice mode? You've got to gear things up and keep them there.

A general point about conventions and morality

29:01: This is a general point about conventions and morality. We need some rules to have all kinds of things that we benefit from and enjoy, but exactly which set of rules we have doesn't matter too much up to a point.

How much control do we really have over our consciousness?

13:21: Many of my philosophical colleagues would say that if you are acting intentionally, your eyes are open, and you are awake, then your consciousness is playing a controlling role all the time. And that was the idea I wanted to resist by saying that in these fast sporting contexts, there isn't any time.

Conventions are like contracts

21:18: There are some sports where, maybe more so in the past, where it wasn't acceptable to say anything to distract your opponent. And then there are sports where it's acceptable. Everybody knows you might get inside somebody's head a bit, but that's part of the game. But you are allowed to make jokes and make certain kinds of comments, but you aren't supposed to be talking, making comments, or disreputable comments about their wives or mothers. And so, the way I think about it is that these conventions, which vary from sport to sport, are like a kind of contract or deal.

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