Endurance Sport and the American Philosophical Tradition analyzes the relationship between endurance sports and themes from the American philosophical tradition. The contributors write from a scholarly viewpoint but also informed through their own endurance sport participation.

Endurance Sport and the American Philosophical Tradition, edited by Douglas R. Hochstetler, analyzes the relationship between endurance sports—such as running, cycling, and swimming–and themes from the American philosophical tradition. The contributors enter into dialogue with writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, Henry David Thoreau, and John Dewey, as well as more recent scholars such as John McDermott and bell hooks. Examining American philosophical themes informs issues in endurance sport, and the experiential nature of endurance sport helps address philosophical issues and explain philosophical themes in American philosophy. The chapters bear witness to the fact that philosophy is not limited to abstract notions such as justice, truth, happiness, and so forth, but intersects with and has a bearing on our human endeavors of work and play. Furthermore, the themes centrally related to the American philosophical tradition align closely with the challenges and experiences present and faced by runners, cyclists, swimmers, and endurance athletes in general.

Contents

Foreword:

Amby Burfoot

1. Introduction: The nature of American philosophy and endurance sport

Douglas Hochstetler

2. Running and musing: Living philosophically

Douglas Anderson

3. When continentalism meets pragmatism - Enduring life in the strenuous mood

Ron Welters

4. Floyd Landis, endurance sport and the aesthetics of tension

Tim Elcombe

6. Sunrise, Sunset: Reflections on what makes an aging biker’s life significant

Scott Kretchmar

7. Representative endurance athlete

Peter Hopsicker

8. Cooking up a plan: Pragmatism and training

Pam R. Sailors and Cody D. Cash

9. Dewey goes the distance: Situated habit and ultraendurance sports

Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza, Shaun Gallagher, Daniel D. Hutto, Kaarina Beam

10. “The will to believe,” the will to win, and the problem of self-transcendence

Jeffrey Fry

11. On meaning and motive in endurance sport: An experiential romp through the grand whys

Scott Tinley

12. Circles of life: Evaluating goals and preparing for the future

Douglas Hochstetler

Bibliography

Contributor Biographies