Stephen Mumford Livres

Exploring the often-overlooked dimension of spectatorship, this book investigates the philosophical implications of watching sports rather than participating. It highlights how viewers actively shape their perceptions, drawing parallels with art and theatre. By examining the aesthetic qualities inherent in sports, from the beauty of a precise football pass to the artistry in ice-skating and gymnastics, it addresses themes of aesthetics, morality, and collective emotional experiences, making it relevant to both philosophy and sports studies enthusiasts.

Exploring the foundations of natural laws, Mumford delves into whether genuine law-like phenomena exist in nature. He engages with contemporary metaphysical debates, examining the necessity versus contingency of these laws and the independence of properties from their causal roles. This thought-provoking analysis challenges existing notions and invites readers to reconsider the nature of reality and the principles governing it.

Introduces the reader to a host of philosophical topics found in sport, exploring the place of sport in our lives.

Without cause and effect, there would be no science or technology, no moral responsibility, and no system of law. Causation is therefore the most fundamental connection in the universe and a core topic of philosophical thought. This Very Short Introduction introduces all of the main theories of causation and its key debates.

In this easy-to-understand introduction, Stephen Mumford explores one of the four main branches of philosophy: metaphysics. Using practical examples to explore the main issues, he presents the ideas in a clear and simple way, helping to clarify and unravel the basic questions of this complex and abstract concept.

Football is the most popular sport on the planet partly because it’s so simple to play – but as philosopher, novelist and avid fan Stephen Mumford shows, behind the straightforward rules of the game there lurks a world of intriguing complexity. Mumford considers the intellectual basis upon which football rests, guiding readers through a number of issues at the heart of the game. How can a team be greater than the sum of its individual players? What is the essential role of chance? Should we want to win at all costs? What does it mean to control space? And can true beauty be found in football? Rich with colourful examples from football’s past and present, Mumford’s book is both a love letter to football and a reflection on its enduring capacity to enthral and excite.

I firmly believed there was a world outside of our own minds . . . But all around me were challenges. . . . How could we be so sure there were such things existing apart from us? Philosopher Benedict Chilwell faces a crisis of confidence and hopes to resolve it in a self-imposed exile, far away in the north of Norway. From his cabin, he begins his meditations, pondering the mysteries of philosophy in the dark Arctic winter. Pride, a whale, love and lust, the Huldra, God and a chain of causes all interrupt Benedict's solitude. Could they prove his salvation? In six days approaching the return of the light, Benedict discovers a basis for certainty and tries his best to convince his hosts. Through doubts, questions and reasoning, Chilwell inadvertently follows in Descartes' footsteps. Will he be killed by the cold too; or will the warmth of Plato's sun save him in time?