Ethical Issues in Sport Paper
Morality in Sport; the Consequences and Perks of Following the Rules
Aurora E. Gordon
0304974
Dr. Phil Parker
March 23rd 2014
In ancient Greece a person’s moral standard, their value of ethics was the most important thing about that person. Many philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle developed many works on what they thought moral standards should represent for everyone. The idea of morality, or virtue ethics was held very dear to the Greeks and citizens could be judged solely on their moral character. In modern day we see significantly less of this, the lines between morals and personal virtues are blurred and seem less important to everyday life. Lessons can be learned from the Greeks and their standards or moral character, these sets of values would be especially important in the world of modern sport where cheating and scandal is seen almost as much as the competitions themselves. This paper seeks to outline the traditions of what morality was in ancient Greece and to discuss how these virtues are seen or not seen in modern sport. To fully understand what it meant to be a moral Greek one has to examine the works of the three main philosophers of the period. Though Socrates taught Plato and Plato taught Aristotle the three all contributed to raising the bar of what moral standards were, and what they should mean for a person or a society. Notably, Socrates was the first philosopher to really examine what morals and personal virtues were. He believed that if knowledge can be learned and taught, so could personal virtue which is why he sought out to teach his principles to the youth of Athens.
Socrates believed that one must concentrate more on self-development than on material things. He encouraged people to develop friendships and love amongst themselves. Humans possess certain basic philosophical or intellectual virtues and those virtues were the most valuable of all possessions. To act Good and to be truly Good from within is different
Aurora E. Gordon
0304974
Dr. Phil Parker
March 23rd 2014
In ancient Greece a person’s moral standard, their value of ethics was the most important thing about that person. Many philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle developed many works on what they thought moral standards should represent for everyone. The idea of morality, or virtue ethics was held very dear to the Greeks and citizens could be judged solely on their moral character. In modern day we see significantly less of this, the lines between morals and personal virtues are blurred and seem less important to everyday life. Lessons can be learned from the Greeks and their standards or moral character, these sets of values would be especially important in the world of modern sport where cheating and scandal is seen almost as much as the competitions themselves. This paper seeks to outline the traditions of what morality was in ancient Greece and to discuss how these virtues are seen or not seen in modern sport. To fully understand what it meant to be a moral Greek one has to examine the works of the three main philosophers of the period. Though Socrates taught Plato and Plato taught Aristotle the three all contributed to raising the bar of what moral standards were, and what they should mean for a person or a society. Notably, Socrates was the first philosopher to really examine what morals and personal virtues were. He believed that if knowledge can be learned and taught, so could personal virtue which is why he sought out to teach his principles to the youth of Athens.
Socrates believed that one must concentrate more on self-development than on material things. He encouraged people to develop friendships and love amongst themselves. Humans possess certain basic philosophical or intellectual virtues and those virtues were the most valuable of all possessions. To act Good and to be truly Good from within is different