Sportsball is an Ethical Circus

I nursed a sick kid this week and put my back out. So, I missed being there in person. But Seth recorded Wednesday's conversation, and I'm sharing it with you as an experiment and a gift.

Welcome Ellen! Good to hear your voices, Jack (Happy Birfday) and Pete! All the “regular” Scoundrels, you’ve got my heart…Jerry tipped his toe back into the water. Jim I’ve had you on the mind for getting some philosophy of sports rolling for a minute and a half now, and Max thanks for bring up the whole Superbowl timing. I still want to explore, “Why do we play sports?” So much philosophy, such a finite life!

I don’t have as much to say this week (enjoy it while it lasts, folks). I had big aspirations of listening to the whole talk, taking notes like I usually do and doing my thing on Thursday transforming a messy conversation into some categories of reflection. But alas, childcare and self care said nope, you’re gonna remember you’re human. This week, I'm giving you the conversation itself, the tangents, fumbled words, lost thoughts, definition struggles, and genuine thinking-out-loud that makes Scoundrels what it is.

A few questions still on the table:

• What’s the difference between trends and cheating?

• What makes an action disgusting instead of clever?

• What kind of a duty is there to an audience?

• What do we do about rules that are unethical? What’s the difference between fair and ethical?

• When can we talk about Kayfabe?

• What’s the role of unwritten rules in ethics?

• How come every time Philosofarian asks a question I leave with 50 more?

• Why is the dictionary so unhelpful when it comes to philosophy?

• What’s the relationship between sports, religion, and moral imagination?

• How the power dynamic between ethics and money work?

• Is it cheating or ethical if every one is doing it?

See you next week!

Tell me what you think: Would you like occasional recordings instead of my summaries? Drop a comment down below.