His entry begins:I’ve recently read quite a few much-hyped but disappointing books, but rather than name those names, let me instead praise two books I really enjoyed this year. The first is The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis, originally published in 1983. Tevis is much better known for The Hustler and The Man Who Fell to Earth, but I’m not sure this isn’t his best. It’s about a girl from a tough orphanage who becomes a chess champion. A number of writers have recently recognized the narrative possibilities offered by adolescent girls with steel in their hearts (think of...[read on]About Knowing the Score, from the publisher:
In Knowing the Score, philosopher David Papineau uses sports to illuminate some of modern philosophy's most perplexing questions. As Papineau demonstrates, the study ofVisit David Papineau's website.sports clarifies, challenges, and sometimes confuses crucial issues in philosophy. The tactics of road bicycle racing shed new light on questions of altruism, while sporting family dynasties reorient the nature v. nurture debate. Why do sports competitors choke? Why do fans think God will favor their team over their rivals? How can it be moral to deceive the umpire by framing a pitch? From all of these questions, and many more, philosophy has a great deal to learn.
An entertaining and erudite book that ranges far and wide through the sporting world, Knowing the Score is perfect reading for armchair philosophers and Monday morning quarterbacks alike.
The Page 99 Test: Philosophical Devices.
The Page 99 Test: Knowing the Score.
Writers Read: David Papineau.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
