Holism and the Cultivation of Excellence in Sports and Performance is a multi-methodological and cross-cultural examination of how we flourish holistically through performative endeavors, e.g., sports, martial and performing arts. Relying primarily on sport philosophy, value theory, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, pragmatism, and East Asian philosophies (Japanese and Chinese), it espouses thick holism. Concerned with an integrative bodymind gradually achieved through performance that aims at excellence, the process of self-cultivation proper of thick holism relies on an ecologically rich epistemic landscape (...) where skills are coupled to virtues in pragmatic contexts. Ultimately, this process results in admirable performances and exemplary character. Japanese do (practices of self-cultivation) are prominent modes and models of such flourishing. A holistic and radically enactive approach that advances contentless capacities in lieu of representations transparently accounts for the kind of action that characterizes such expert performances. Importantly, these performer-centered endeavors unfold within communities that foster the cultivation of our abilities as lifelong quests for human excellence. Each chapter can be read independently but still forms part of a continuous argumentative and narrative thread. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. (shrink)

This presentation examines the philosophy of Georges Bataille on three fronts: Part I deals with an examination of Claude Levi-Strauss’ theory on the prohibition of incest, which links the formation of political systems of patrilineal genealogy to the economic reduction of feminine identity at the level of proprietary wealth, defining an exchange "fundamental to the movement from nature to society." Bataille disagrees, arguing that the exchange of women is ceremonial, based in giving without expectation of return, claiming that political power (...) is maintained through the sacrifice of wealth. Part II discusses the geopolitical implication of Levi-Strauss’ suggestion that at the opposite end of incest is extreme exogamy, using the example of the South African Apartheid as a case-study in miniature to discuss the “inhibited synthesis” of modern colonial progress in the development of a global order. I critique how the adoption of neoliberal capitalism as a progressive ideology vis-à-vis its promises of national sovereignty and economic partnership fails to recognize the historical entrenchment of political power and wealth accumulation of post-industrial Eurocentric regimes, which systematically exploit new players for their own ends. Bataille assesses this geopolitical deadlock of power by reconsidering the purpose of wealth, arguing that the purpose of wealth is not realized through the capitalist system of profit-investment-accumulation, but rather through acts of useless expenditure, which generate cultural “ecstasies” conducive to synthesis. Part III deals with the critical shift in philosophy and the problem of real access for post-Kantian epistemology, which remains caught in a state of inhibited synthesis between the real and the apparent. Bataille critiques the “failure” of Hegelian idealism to reconstruct the real in the wake of Kant, namely because Hegel still detaches matter, as a unified concept, situating it below the ends of rationality. Bataille argues that matter must be abstracted from conceptual-rational thought, re-constituting thought as matter, and thus allowing for a return of the epistemic access to the real. I argue that Bataille’s work encompasses a major framework that allows for a new kind of speculative realism, envisioning social, geopolitical, and epistemic boundaries. (shrink)

Superhero films have rarely included political messages within their central narratives, but the filmmakers developing them have a moral obligation to do so. This obligation stems from virtue ethics, which demands that moral actors work to cultivate virtuous qualities within themselves, such as self-reflection and honesty. Developing a superhero film then becomes a process of moral reflection for filmmakers as they consider what are the virtues a truly moral person would need to embody. Because superheroes have the capacity to serve (...) as moral role models, these films also become a means for promoting moral reflection in audience members. Politics is how we determine what is best for members of a given society, and therefore any political commentary included by filmmakers is a natural extension of any moral commentary they are engaging in. (shrink)

Language, when considered as part of the lived experience of human beings, fails to be reduced to mere representation. In line with non-representationalist understandings of the mind and knowledge-how centered understandings of knowledge, purposiveness in skill acquisition and second language acquisition may be understood through Dreyfus’s skillful coping, based in Merleau-Ponty’s intentional arc and maximal grip. Such an approach to second language acquisition decentralizes rule-based representationalist understandings of the process, such as universal grammar, and instead sees language and communication as (...) responsive, dynamic and dyadic. (shrink)

The democratic system in the U.S. is in disarray. Daily reports of hostile confrontation, fake news, alternative facts, ad hominem attacks, and increasing tribalism are distressing. But those divisions also indicate something good about our democratic system. We can, as yet, still voice our dissent, take collective public action, and engender grassroots activism without legitimate reprisal for those activities in themselves. But the public discourse is increasingly polarizing and unproductive. Is there a common ground upon which we can build discourse (...) and seek a common public good? To what can we appeal for common ground? Do we appeal to truth or power? Philosophers have traditionally sought truth to legitimate power and parsed education as a search for truth. But, as Alasdair MacIntyre asked, "Whose truth? Which rationality?" In this talk, Dr. Kaarina Beam explores the nature of truth, the nature of truth-seeking education, and the nature of the philosophy underlying an educational search for truth in a pluralistic world. (shrink)

America has become industrialized and characterized by social anxiety and overconsumption. The inability to be sustainable has led the once plentiful and flourishing nation into an ongoing sustainability crisis. Even if there is a deep connection between them, this essay focuses on social sustainability rather than ecological. It argues for an intentional community-based framework to keep American life sustainable. Pollution, civil unrest, and intense social anxiety create unfulfilling life conditions for many American citizens. Using examples from modern American intentional communities, (...) I will explain the need for self-directing, close-knit communities. Flourishing community members, as it will be considered from sociological and pragmatist theory, are notably more autonomous and environmentally conservative than mainstream American society. Communal societies immensely aid in successfully establishing contextually-based governments that help fulfill their citizens. They are more conscious of their environment and thus seek a healthy sustainable consumption rate and social climate. The values and traditions that cultivate environmental care are integral in communities and often combat the instability of American society. Though grassroots communal living can be hard and often forsakes the amenities of capitalist America, it offers alternative values that would still sustain and help to achieve fulfillment by the population. (shrink)

Queer theory, as a subfield of feminist theories concerned with revealing epistemic, political, and humanitarian problems of a male-dominated society, has been heavily influenced by its founding thinkers, including Judith Butler, the theorist focused on herein. In critiquing various problems of our western society, Butler preserves the structure underlying such problems: through her approach of a gay/straight framework critiquing a male domination of female, the binary is preserved. This is problematic for many reasons, including its exclusion of perspectives that do (...) not fall cleanly into such dichotomies, namely trans and polysexual ones. By appealing to these, as well as to Herbert Marcuse and other theorists skeptical of abstracted, dichotomized approaches, this project attempts to bring Butler back into the world of experience. (shrink)

Dr. Leonard Finkelman discusses how, even though the fossils of dinosaurs have been named, the animals themselves are still nameless. Finkelman makes his argument using the example of a Tyrannosaurus Rex — it's the name of rocks, but not the name of the animal whose bones became those rocks.

Questions traditionally answered by philosophers are now being tackled by prominent scientists. As the cultural influence of science and technology continues to grow, what room, if any, is left for philosophy? Three philosophers—Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, and Dr. Leonard Finkelman —explore issues related to the philosophy of science, including how philosophy has contributed to scientific progress, why philosophy continues to be important to science, and why there remain questions that only philosophy can answer. The panelists represent four generations (...) of an academic lineage: Dr. Kaplan was Dr. Pigliucci's dissertation advisor, Dr. Pigliucci was Dr. Finkelman's dissertation advisor, and Evan Tracy is a student of Dr. Finkelman. (shrink)

Underperformance under stress is common in many activities such as the arts and academic performance, but examples are particularly evident in sport's "choking" effect—a failure to perform to levels already achieved when the person tries to be at his or her best. Rory McIlroy "disintegrated" at the 2011 U.S. Masters, while Greg Norman epically lost in 1996. On the other end of the spectrum, Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps thrived under media pressure to deliver record-breaking performances at the Olympics. The (...) first set of scenarios showcases athletes failing under pressure. The second presents superb performers who excel when "on the spot." As a way to supplement current psychological and cognitive theoretical research, Dr. Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza discusses an alternative philosophical account to combat choking. It diagnoses the process and contrasts it with cases of superior performances analyzed under "skillful fluency." The solution is derived from Japanese do—arts of self-cultivation, such as the way of archery or the way of tea—which encourage an integration of body-mind and intellect-emotion that indirectly achieves skillful fluency and avoids choking. (shrink)

Music can profoundly affect individuals and societies. Individuals use music to express themselves, their opinions, their worldview, their emotions, all channeled through the medium of sound. Societies use music to help give identity to their culture. Music has inspired people to take up arms for their country, or to revolt. It has gathered people of different backgrounds together under the banner of peace and of war. It has inspired people to march, it has driven them to yell, to scream, to (...) dance, to pray, to kiss and hold, to break down and cry. Music can help people sleep, can affect their dreams, or it can keep them awake, help them be alert. With the right intention and inflection music can influence people in any number of ways. Given this influence and power, it then follows that there should be an ethical responsibility to people when making or listening to music. What is the normative ethical role of music in society? How does one ethically participate in musical traditions? What does the opposite look like? In this paper, I will attempt to define the relation of music to society. With that relation in mind, I will then explain the responsibility that follows from participating in a musical tradition: music should be a morally enriching cultural experience. (shrink)

Humans have an understanding of a concept called consciousness. This idea of consciousness has been the main separating factor between animals and humans regarding humankind's purported superiority of intelligence: humans are conscious and other animals are not. Specifically, it is self-consciousness, awareness of oneself as oneself, that is. Yet extensive research throughout the last few decades shows that this may not be the case. Animals and humans alike show a variety of forms of consciousness and self-consciousness based on the structure (...) of their bodies, brains, habitats and other contributing factors of survival. Hence, I will argue that humans are not the only beings on this Earth that have the ability of sophisticated consciousness and even self-awareness that we take as the result of a seemingly higher power of intelligence. To do so, I will examine a variety of cases where animals show various levels of consciousness. These animals include the four types of great apes, dolphins, horses, corvids, cephalopod mollusks, cows, lions, and canines. Such examples of higher consciousness derived from these animals include a being's understanding of self, creating non-heritage based friendships, tool-making abilities, functional memory usage, and spatial awareness. Humans must now act upon this inheritance of knowledge regarding animal consciousness. If we know that other animals behold higher levels of intelligence, we must learn to treat them justly. (shrink)

Next to the Bible, the Dao De Jing is the most translated work in world literature. Its popularity certainly shows the power of traditional Chinese thoughts. Late western modern philosophers, such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre have been influenced by the thoughts of Dao De Jing. As a foundation of traditional Chinese spirit, the Dao De Jing certainly played a key role. In the new global temporality, it may also help people to eliminate the philosophical, ideological, and eventually the cultural (...) gap as a cultural bridge between the east and west. Compared to the original source, most English references are still written very "non-fluently," making it hard to gain a close understanding. This thesis is a tiny contribution to reinterpret some chapters on mainly metaphysical views of the Dao De Jing and hopefully can modify some typical traditional “English thoughts” on this scripture. (shrink)