Sailing - Philosophy for Everyone: Catching the Drift of Why We Sail - Paperback

by Fritz Allhoff (Editor), Patrick Goold (Editor), John Rousmaniere (Foreword by)

This volume reveals the wisdom we can learn from sailing, a sport that pits human skills against the elements, tests the mettle and is a rich source of valuable lessons in life.

• Unravels the philosophical mysteries behind one of the oldest organized human activities
• Features contributions from philosophers and academics as well as from sailors themselves
• Enriches appreciation of the sport by probing its meaning and value
• Brings to life the many applications of philosophy to sailing and the profound lessons it can teach us
• A thought-provoking read for sailors and philosophers alike

Back Jacket

This revealing collection of essays probes the philosophical mysteries of sailing, looking for the wisdom we can glean from this ancient craft. It digs more deeply into the meaning and value of the sport than do how-to books or travel/adventure accounts. Contributors include philosophers, academics from other disciplines, and others intimately involved in the sport. All share an abiding interest in sailing and the belief that it teaches profound life lessons to those who sail. They articulate the intense engagement people have with sailing craft and with the many different forms that sailing takes.

This book will enhance sailors' appreciation, and enrich their experience, of the sport. At the same time, philosophers will discover thought-provoking examples of the way that philosophical reflection comes to life when it is applied to the concrete activities to which people commit themselves.

Author Biography

Editor
Patrick Goold is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Wesleyan College. His current research focuses on defining rationality. He is co-editor with Steven Emmanuel of the Blackwell anthology Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Nietzsche. Patrick is passionate about sailing, and, in addition to maintaining a small daysailer and a cruising boat of his own, frequently crews on the boats of others. The bays and sounds of Virginia and North Carolina are his home waters but he has sailed the length of the East Coast of the United States from Hilton Head to Long Island Sound, made a Bermuda crossing, done club racing in Brittany, and cruised in the Lesser Antilles.

Series Editor
Fritz Allhoff is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy department at Western Michigan University, as well as a senior research fellow at the Australian National University's Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, he is also the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey and Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food and Philosophy (with Dave Monroe, Wiley-Blackwell, 2007). His academic research interests engage various facets of applied ethics, ethical theory, and the history and philosophy of science.