Running & Philosophy

I was so excited whenever I found it, I knew I had to have it. It make some really good points about the connection between philosophy and the need to run. :bigsmile:

I received the book as a Christmas gift and am looking forward to reading it. It will be a couple months because I'm in the middle of some other books, but when I read it I'll post my review on here.

This looks really interesting. Thank-you for sharing Axis Austin. I can't wait to visit my local bookstore and check it out today.

I purchased the book a couple of weeks ago and have finished most of the articles, and in doing so have put together a short overview of the book for those interested.

Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture) Ed. by Michael W. Austin is a compilation of papers which appear to have been written specifically for this collection. As mentioned, the series with which this book lies in is titled the 'Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture', and I think this is especially fitting for this collection. Each paper is about 12?3 pages and is therefore great for casual readers and those who may otherwise find it difficult to fit philosophy reading into their schedule. Another interesting feature of note is that the book seems to flow from easy to hard, with each article being either slightly more technical, conceptual, thorough, or simply thought provoking (particularly to philosophers) than the last.

As a philosopher I will say that I found some of the earlier articles grasping for straws in their attempt to relate their particular philosophy theme with running (e.g. Long-Distance Running and the Will to Power). Thus on several occasion they had me thinking "Philosophy and Pop Culture. Ah, yes." However, I believe this to be a strength of the collection because it seems to know what it wants to be and delivers its aim well. Therefore, I think that this book will be especially interesting for three types of people. The first are people who are not runners nor mainly philosophers yet may be wanting to better understand the draw to both of these fields/interests--whether this is to enhance their own interest or simply to understand where a friend, family member, or group of people are coming from. The second are runners who are interested in exploring all of those deeper introspections that us runners have all experienced during our own time on the road. The third group are philosophers who are interested in adding more depth and meaning to their hobby and lifestyle. In any of these groups, however, I think that each will walk away with a more insightful and motivating understanding as to why each of us and others run.

This book is not an attempt to be a thorough philosophical analysis of any traditional field of philosophy or philosopher. Rather, it is meant to explore the philosophical nature of running for those who have done either...Philosophize or run.

Sounds great. As I've mentioned, I was given the book for Christmas, yet haven't read it yet (I'm currently teaching myself French and reading a collection of short works about peace and justice). But I'm excited to get to it. Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.