Sports and games
Sports and games
idea
Sport shows how to use performance benchmarks in a positive way
IQ scores and other contextless benchmarks are suffocating and misleading. We should look to sport for a healthier approach
by Leif Weatherby
Sports and games
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Why do so many athletes turn to extreme and unproven remedies?
The widespread use of unproven remedies and products in sport is not only harmful to athletes but also to wider society
by Nick Tiller
Sports and games
idea
For players of fafi, dream interpretation is a vital skill
The fafi lottery game in South Africa requires the careful interpretation of dreams and the waking world around you
by Brittany Birberick
Sports and games
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Physical fatigue is in the brain as much as in the body
The idea of ‘mind over muscle’ is more than motivational rhetoric – exercise science shows how the brain manages fatigue
by David Robson
Goals and motivation
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Why some teams boost motivation while others totally sap it
Working in a team can inspire striving – or encourage free-riding. What makes a difference is how the teamwork is designed
by Ann-Kathrin Torka, Jens Mazei & Joachim Hüffmeier
Sports and games
idea
Sisyphus, skateboarders, and the value in endless failure
Skateboarders regularly fail at their chosen activity. But that doesn’t make it a meaningless task of Sisyphean proportions
by Andrei A Buckareff
Change and self-development
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Philosophy is like athletics – theory must be put into practice
The Stoics approached self-improvement as an athlete approaches sport: the key is to keep practising in the face of failure
by Michael Tremblay
Sports and games
idea
In sport, as in life, tactical fouling is fundamentally wrong
Tactical or professional fouling is a familiar, accepted practice in team sports. But is it ever the right thing to do?
by George Letsas & Saladin Meckled-Garcia
Sports and games
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Why do hardcore football fans behave like rutting stags?
Sport spectators can let off steam by chanting and group bonding, but why do hardcore football fans turn to real violence?
by Martha Newson
Parenting and families
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Philosophy can explain what kind of achievement it is to give birth
Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are physical achievements, like marathon running: give them the same respect, and no more
by Fiona Woollard
Sports and games
idea
What pro wrestling can teach us about the quest for truth
Pro wrestling, like philosophy, raises questions about appearance and reality: how can we ever know what’s really happening?
by Douglas Edwards