Sports and philosophy went hand in hand for the ancient Greeks and Romans, and philosophical conversation was a recognized part of gym life throughout Greco-Roman antiquity. Athens’s Lyceum was a gym—and reportedly a hangout of that philosophical gym rat Socrates—before it became the site of Aristotle’s school. Fittingly, that gym is the setting of the Greek satirist Lucian’s Anacharsis, a witty philosophical dialogue that wrestles with questions about the purpose and value of sports—questions that we are still grappling with in our own sports- and fitness-obsessed times. How to Compete presents a new translation of Lucian’s timeless classic, inviting us into a ringside debate about the point of sports.
Pitting a sports skeptic, Anacharsis, against a superfan, Solon, this delightful and thought-provoking work tries to make sense of sports. Why do so many of us care so much about them? Are sports like boxing too violent? Should we take fitness so seriously? Do athletics have educational value? And, most important of all, why did the ancient Greeks exercise naked? While Anacharsis, observing a Greek sport that sounds something like mixed martial arts, asks what kind of citizens set aside serious affairs to watch young men beat each other to a pulp, Solon counters that sports have great civic benefits and that athletes are ultimately competing for the highest prize—human excellence.
Featuring an inviting introduction, a handy glossary, helpful notes, and the original Greek on facing pages, How to Compete is a winning exploration of why sports are more than just a game.
Lucian (c.125–180 CE) was one of the most popular writers in the ancient Greek-speaking world. With brilliant wit and rhetorical charm, his dialogues examined contemporary religious, philosophical, and cultural beliefs. Heather L. Reid is professor emerita at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. Her books include Introduction to the Philosophy of Sport and Athletics and Philosophy in the Ancient World. Phillip Mitsis is the A. S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization at New York University. His books include The Oxford Handbook of Epicurus and Epicureanism.
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“Is playing sports a form of madness? Why do we willingly bruise and batter our bodies, pushing them to their limits—all for a ribbon, a pat on the back, or applause? Two thousand years ago, Lucian was just as perplexed. In How to Compete, he envisions a bewildered foreigner—akin to a Martian—arriving in ancient Greece and trying to make sense of it all. This vibrant new translation breathes fresh life into Lucian’s wit and wisdom, inviting us to reconsider the virtues and vices of athletic competition.”—Michael Fontaine, editor and translator of How to Have Willpower
“Sport was an essential feature of Greek and Roman culture, but its logic and purpose in the ancient world is usually assumed rather than addressed. By highlighting the significance of Lucian’s Anacharsis and its broader questions about pleasure, profit, education, and society, this translation makes an essential contribution.”—Charles H. Stocking, coauthor of Ancient Greek Athletics
“Coupling philosophy with humor, How to Compete captures the vivacity and lightheartedness of Lucian’s ancient dialogue while also inviting us to think about the more serious issues raised by sports, from antiquity to today.”—Reyes BertolÃn Cebrián, author of The Athlete in the Ancient Greek World
“Lucian’s funny and provocative dialogue—presented here in a lucid and accessible new translation—takes us right to the heart of the ancient gymnasium. The introduction shows elegantly and economically how reading the Anacharsis can give us a fresh view of debates about the value of sports, not just in antiquity but also in the present.”—Jason König, author of The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture
