Philosophical Thought

Critique of "Sports as Cultivation of Moral Virtues" Article

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

R. Sadeghi 1
Z. Zoofaghari 2

1 Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Al-al-Bayt (Prophet’s Descendants) Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.58209/jpt.5.3.313
Abstract
The aim of this article is to critique and analyze the paper titled "Sport as Cultivation of Moral Virtues", which claims that sports, apart from their outcomes, possess inherent ethical value. If this claim holds true, it endorses a particular social and individual lifestyle that is part of modern living. However, the main critique is that the author focuses on a limited aspect of sports and discusses the concept of "sport" detached from the context of the modern world. In reality, sports are a complex phenomenon and an integral part of modern life; they cannot be ethically analyzed in isolation from modern societal relations. The final argument is that while sports may hold an advantage over a sedentary lifestyle, they do not possess greater ethical value compared to activities that bring tangible social or individual benefits. In certain situations, sports can even become counter-ethical.

Keywords

Sport
ethical virtue
self-awareness
lifestyle
modern life
Subjects
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- Aristotle (2006). Nicomachean ethics. Lotfi MH, translator. Tehran: TARH-E NO. [Persian]
- Eslami Ardakani SH (2021). Sports as cultivation of moral virtues. Philosophical Thought. 2(1):9-22. [Persian]
- Khaza'i Z (2010). Virtue ethics. Tehran: Hekmat. [Persian]
- Kilvington D (2024). Understanding and challenging discrimination in sports. Cogent Social Sciences. 10(1):2422011.
- Mechikoff R (2014). A history and philosophy of sport and physical education: From ancient civilizations to the modern world. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
- Meeuwsen S, Kreft L (2023). Sport and politics in the twenty-first century. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. 17(3):342-355.
- Razzaghi ME, Mehrabi Gh (2017). Ethics in sports (concepts, challenges, solutions). Tehran: NEDA-YE KAR AFARIN. [Persian]
- Singer P (2016). Famine, affluence, and morality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Philosophical Thought
Volume 5, Issue 3 - Serial Number 19
Summer 2025
Summer 2025
Pages 313-325

  • Receive Date 02 May 2025
  • Accept Date 08 July 2025
  • Publish Date 01 September 2025