Philosophy at the Gym

This project arose from a dare. In grad school, I had become a regular at the university’s gyms (mostly to escape my dissertation on ancient philosophical dialogue). When I started teaching at a liberal arts college, the habit spilled over. Between sets, I would get into conversations with students about school, lifting and life. On one such occasion --I’m pretty sure it was chest day-- the discussion got particularly intricate. My spotter, Alon Hersch, laughed and said, “You should teach a class: Philosophy at the Gym.” I suspect he was kidding. But the idea made sense. So, I went for it and developed a course.

The course was a wild success, particularly with student athletes. At this point, it has generated a chapter and article which sit at the cross-roads of philosophy, athletics and thinking about education. I am currently working on a book, which frames the course's texts and big ideas for general readers.

Publications

“Socrates at the Wrestling School: Plato’s Laches, Lysis, and Charmides,” Athletics, Gymnastics, and Agon in Plato, ed. Heather Reid et al. (Parnassos Press - Fonte Aretusa, 2020) 51-66.

“Philosophy at the Gym,” National Teaching and Learning Forum 29:6 (2020) 6-8.