Agency as Art

Nguyen, C. Thi

doi:10.1093/oso/9780190052089.003.0001

Cited by 27 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Broad internalism implies that goals and rules are not enough but that the idea of sport, the implied attitudes and ethos, is necessary to solve ethical dilemmas in sport. In his recent book, Nguyen (2020) distinguishes between a winning and a striving attitude. In a winning-oriented attitude, all that matters is winning, but in the striving attitude, one must play to win, but the ultimate goal is not winning but the enjoyment of playing.…”

Section: Some Clarifications and Extensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sport as part of a meaningful life

Breivik

2021

Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

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My purpose in this article is to raise the problem of meaning in sport. The problem has two aspects. One is whether sport has any meaning in itself. The other is about how sport can be a part of a meaningful life. While I touch upon the first problem, my discussion's main thrust is about the second aspect. I start with clarifying the notion of 'meaning', the possible sources of meaning, and the idea of 'leading a meaningful life'. I distinguish between two views, the existentialist notion of meaning as created and the metaphysical view that meaning is something we find. I then look at the relation between meaning and value. I argue that while value is characterized by showing an internal unity in complexity, meaning is characterized by connecting elements into a pattern with a goal. I then ask if meaning can stand on its own legs and how value can ground meaning? I then show how people can integrate sports in their lives to lead more well-balanced and meaningful lives. I end by discussing some parallels between the debate about meaning in sport and the discussion of the moral character of sport.

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Section: Some Clarifications and Extensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sport as part of a meaningful life

Breivik

2021

Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

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“…I am worried, however, that gamification might increase motivation, but only at the cost of changing our goals in problematic ways. After all, step counts are not the same as health, and citation rates are not the same as wisdom (Nguyen, 2020, pp. 189–215; forthcoming).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 15 For more on the aesthetic pleasure of one's own skillful action, see Nguyen (2020, pp. 101–120).…”

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The Seductions of Clarity

Nguyen

2021

Roy. Inst. Philos. Suppl.

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The feeling of clarity can be dangerously seductive. It is the feeling associated with understanding things. And we use that feeling, in the rough-and-tumble of daily life, as a signal that we have investigated a matter sufficiently. The sense of clarity functions as a thought-terminating heuristic. In that case, our use of clarity creates significant cognitive vulnerability, which hostile forces can try to exploit. If an epistemic manipulator can imbue a belief system with an exaggerated sense of clarity, then they can induce us to terminate our inquiries too early – before we spot the flaws in the system. How might the sense of clarity be faked? Let’s first consider the object of imitation: genuine understanding. Genuine understanding grants cognitive facility. When we understand something, we categorize its aspects more easily; we see more connections between its disparate elements; we can generate new explanations; and we can communicate our understanding. In order to encourage us to accept a system of thought, then, an epistemic manipulator will want the system to provide its users with an exaggerated sensation of cognitive facility. The system should provide its users with the feeling that they can easily and powerfully create categorizations, generate explanations, and communicate their understanding. And manipulators have a significant advantage in imbuing their systems with a pleasurable sense of clarity, since they are freed from the burdens of accuracy and reliability. I offer two case studies of seductively clear systems: conspiracy theories; and the standardized, quantified value systems of bureaucracies.

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“…I mean to include movements such as the one known as Relational Aesthetics, and what has been come to be called social art (Bourriaud, ; Bishop, , ; Finkelpearl, ; Jackson, ). I offer an extended analysis of those types of artworks elsewhere (Nguyen, forthcoming). …”

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confidence: 99%

Monuments as Commitments: How Art Speaks to Groups and How Groups Think in Art

Nguyen

2019

Pacific Philosophical Qtr

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Art can be addressed, not just to individuals, but to groups. Art can even be part of how groups think to themselves – how they keep a grip on their values over time. I focus on monuments as a case study. Monuments, I claim, can function as a commitment to a group value, for the sake of long‐term action guidance. Art can function here where charters and mission statements cannot, precisely because of art's powers to capture subtlety and emotion. In particular, art can serve as the vessel for group emotions, by making emotional content sufficiently public so as to be the object of a group commitment. Art enables groups to guide themselves with values too subtle to be codified.

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Agency as Art

Cited by 27 publications

References 9 publications

Sport as part of a meaningful life

Sport as part of a meaningful life

The Seductions of Clarity

Monuments as Commitments: How Art Speaks to Groups and How Groups Think in Art

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