Darts a sport?

See the discussion of what a sport is (and whether darts counts as one)at:
http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2007/01/defining-sport.html as well - as that offers more detail than this short version...

OK - guess what I got for Christmas... As hinted at by the image, you can correctly presume that Santa brought me a dartboard. One of the consequences of this is that my office wall is now peppered with small holes. Another is that it got me thinking about the labelling of darts as a 'sport'.

I took my thoughts to the internet - and discovered that the UK Darts groups (such as the British Darts Organisation) have fought a long campaign to have darts officially recognised as a sport... The case for seeing darts as a sport can be seen at http://www.patrickchaplin.com/Darts_is_a_sport.htm

This led me to thinking about what a sport is. I have asked a colleague with more expertise than myself in this area to put something together for the blog - but in the meantime, thought it was an interesting topic to get our minds moving with after xmas. Some things we recognise as sports - such as athletics. Some are games - monopoly, cluedo, etc. Some are sports and games - football.

But what are the nature of the distinctions - and where does this leave darts?

(It is worth noting the definitions of sport listed at http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sport it may help...)

Comments welcome - Dave

Reading Lists (and more)

Well, firstly - Happy New Year to all - and secondly, to more pressing matters...

Second years will be revising for the modules where they have exams - but of course, first year (level) Religion, Philosophy & Ethics students have no RPE exams - so may be at a loose end till we re-start teaching. It may well be of benefit to get stuck into the reading for the modules you are down to do in Semester Two (if unsure, check Student Records).

To find reading for RPE modules, look at the field map - link here - and click on a module to see its module descriptor - which has reading at the bottom of the layout...

Cheers, Dave.

RPE Christmas Meal Pictures

The Christmas Meal Pictures are now in the RPE Photo Album. (more photos please if you have them)
(see the 'Links' section) - enjoy - Dave.

Or click: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58244916@N00/



Note: Due to a blog upgrade (like the new look?), you may need to re-register to leave comments.

Sorry about this - should only take you a moment...
Dave

While on the subject of Christmas, you may think there is little of philosophical interest in the holiday...

Well, not everyone agrees - I wish I had found it earlier, but see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xmas-Files-Philosophy-Christmas/dp/0297847228 for details of a book about 'The Philosophy of Christmas' - I am not sure how serious it is - but hope to have read it by next Christmas...

Festive Greetings

Hope you all have a great Christmas, winterval, etc -

But if it is Christmas day - why are you on the internet?
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6200383.stm to ponder whether you ought to be...

Dave

Convert or Die?

Thanks to Jason (level 2) for this link to a Christian computer game story - in which you have to convert or kill the heathens...

Not believe me? Click http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL to read about it..

Dave

Flickr, etc

Hi - quick post: I am in the process of organising a Flickr book for the course: this is an on-line photo album for pics from various events, trips, etc..

I will put the images into folders, etc - once I have time. For now, you can see some pictures from the Hindu Temple visit at http://www.flickr.com/photos/58244916@N00/

Also after last night's student Christmas meal - I expect an influx of images from those with digital cameras - which I shall also upload..

Cheers, Dave

Argument Panic?

As some of you are still frantic looking for examples of bad arguments - I thought a bit of compassion may be in order: take a look at http://www.fallacyfiles.org/examples.html for help: but be sure to properly reference any examples you use.

If people want to add to the comments sections (esp after today once the RPE101 notebook task is complete & handed in) any bad arguments they have either used in that task - or just come across and would like to share - that would be interesting...

Dave

Christmas banned?

As the tabloid press starts its usual festive hysteria over the "PC brigade" banning Christmas (see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=421213&in_page_id=1770 ) - is this accurate?

- the Guardian offers another view - that this is a 'phoney war': http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1967368,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11

The National Secular Scoiety says that: Claims That Christmas Has Been Banned by Employers are Exaggerated and Misleading.

How do you feel about this: do you feel that xmas is under pressure?

Or is there something else going on?

Looking forward to a festive response...
Dave

Peter Singer / Animal Testing & Utilitarianism

Philosopher Peter Singer has been in the news again. While most well-known for his advocacy of animal rights, he has surprised many by claming that some animal testing may be justified. While some animals rights campaigners may be shocked - students may recongise the view that, as he is a utilitarian (of some kind), he would not have an in principle, objection - if the benefit can be said to outweigh the harm. Read here: http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article2035119.ece about Singer's recent statements - and his seeming ability to upset just about everyone...

What is your view of animal testing? Is it justified in a consequentialist manner? On some other grounds? Or not at all?

Dave

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

See update at: http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2007/03/ethics-in-ones-who-walk-away-from.html as well... - esp for discussion of the story in more detail..

Note: If you are a student looking at this to help with a paper/essay on the Omelas short story - that is great, we hope something here helps - but be sure to give a reference - and send me and e-mail to let me know if you find the material useful..

Dave W: dwebster@glos.ac.uk

In the RPE101 (Philosophical and Ethical Arguing) class today, we talked about the Ursula Le Guin short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - as a focus for concerns about Utilitarianism and responsibility...

There is a wikipedia piece at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ones_Who_Walk_Away_From_Omelas - which explains the story - but also see the essay at http://www.sfu.ca/~etiffany/teaching/phil120/omelas1_120.html - whose conclusions I am not convinced by: but ask yourself the questions

1 - Would you stay in the city - knowing your happiness was at the expense of a suffering child?

2 - Do we not anyway enjoy an easy life at the direct expense of others in the developing world already? Are we not just at guilty as the Omelas-people who choose to stay?

responses welcome...
Dave

Christmas Meal...

NEWSFLASH: The Christmas RPE Student meal is booked: It will be at the Balti on the Bath Road at 6pm on Wednesday 13th December.

However - they do need some idea of numbers - so let the student reps know (I will e-mail the contact for the second years who have booked it to all current students on Tueday 5th December - let me know if you don't get that e-mail)

Or let me know - and I will pass on requests for details, etc...
Dave.

Logic?

Those of you doing RPE101 (Philosophical and Ethical Arguing) may enjoy the argument examples at http://neptune.spaceports.com/~words/beavis.html - using the words of MTV's Beavis and Butthead (some of us are old enough to remember them)...

Dave

Heirs to the slavers - Guardian

Today's Guardian has a piece entitled Heirs to the slavers - at http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1960629,00.html - which looks at those whose ancestors were slave traders - and asks the views of a range of others - including Dizzee Rascal, Trisha (!) and others - hope you find it interesting...


Dave

Buddhist 2

Celebrity Buddhist watch, pt2: THe e-magazine, Zen Unbound has a table of celebrity Buddhist practitioners - and an estimation of the extent to which Buddhism is part of their lives... It is at http://www.zenunbound.com/celebbuds.html

Dave.

Celebrity Buddhist Watch...

Okay - we talked about Richard Gere: I suggest we now collect examples of pop-stars and other celebs giving their views on Buddhism - and indeed other spiritual matters: I will start with Ricky Martin (remember him?) talking on Buddhist Philosophty, as reported in an Indian newspaper at: http://www.dailyindia.com/show/86856.php/Ricky-Martin-admires-Buddhist-philosophy

more examples welcome (maybe we should have a prize for the best/worst?) - so use comments to nominate the naffest news story of Celebrity Buddhist matters - or equivalents...
Dave.