Running and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind - Paperback

by Michael W. Austin (Editor)

A unique anthology of essays exploring the philosophical wisdom runners contemplate when out for a run. It features writings from some of America's leading philosophers, including Martha Nussbaum, Charles Taliaferro, and J.P. Moreland.

• A first-of-its-kind collection of essays exploring those gems of philosophical wisdom runners contemplate when out for a run
• Topics considered include running and the philosophy of friendship; the freedom of the long distance runner; running as aesthetic experience, and "Could a Zombie Run a Marathon?"
• Contributing essayists include philosophers with athletic experience at the collegiate level, philosophers whose pasttime is running, and one philosopher who began running to test the ideas in his essay

Front Jacket

Running is not just a physical activity -- it is also a reflective endeavor. With the wind at your back and ribbons of roadway in front of you, there is ample time to think about life's big questions.

This first-of-its kind volume brings together some of today's leading philosophers to address such questions as:

• What is the relationship between success in running and success in life?
• What can we learn from pain?
• Is running a religion?
• How does running fit into the pursuit of a meaningful life?
• What is the connection between running, friendship, and happiness?

The combination of running and philosophy can help us achieve a goal we all share, reflected in the words of eminent Enlightenment philosopher John Locke: A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world.

Back Jacket

Running is not just a physical activity -- it is also a reflective endeavor. With the wind at your back and ribbons of roadway in front of you, there is ample time to think about life's big questions.

This first-of-its kind volume brings together some of today's leading philosophers to address such questions as:

• What is the relationship between success in running and success in life?
• What can we learn from pain?
• Is running a religion?
• How does running fit into the pursuit of a meaningful life?
• What is the connection between running, friendship, and happiness?

The combination of running and philosophy can help us achieve a goal we all share, reflected in the words of eminent Enlightenment philosopher John Locke: "A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world."

Author Biography

Michael W. Austin is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University. A member of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport, Austin has been published in Journal for the Philosophy of Sport, Southwest Philosophy Review, The Journal of Value Inquiry, Philosophy and Theology, and International Philosophical Quarterly. He is also the author of Conceptions of Parenthood: Ethics and the Family (2007).