Sport : a biological, philosophical, and cultural perspective /

Sport : a biological, philosophical, and cultural perspective /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Schulkin, Jay, author.
Imprint:New York : Columbia University Press, [2016]
Description:1 online resource
Language:English
Subject:
Sports -- Physiological aspects.
Sports -- Social aspects.
Sports -- physiology.
Psychology, Sports.
Philosophy, Medical.
Culture.
Health Behavior.
Sports -- Physiological aspects.
Sports -- Social aspects.
Electronic books.
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11306114
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9780231541978
023154197X
9780231176767
0231176767
9780231176767
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Summary:From the Olympians of ancient Greece to today's professional athletes, from adult pick-up soccer games to children's gymnastics classes, people at all levels of ability at all times and in all places have engaged in sport. What drives this phenomenon? In Sport, the neuroscientist Jay Schulkin argues that biology and culture do more than coexist when we play sports, they blend together seamlessly, propelling each other toward greater physical and intellectual achievement. To support this claim, Schulkin surveys history, literature, and art and engages the work of philosophers and the latest psychological and sociological research. He connects sport's basic neural requirements, including spatial and temporal awareness, inference, memory, agency, direction, competitive spirit, and endurance, to the demands of other human activities. He affirms sport's natural role as a creative evolutionary catalyst, turning the external play of sports inward and bringing profound insight to the diversion that defines our species. Sport, we learn, is a fundamental part of human life--Publisher's website.
Other form:Print version: Schulkin, Jay. Sport. New York : Columbia University Press, [2016] 9780231176767
Review by Choice Review

When a book with the one word title Sport appears, the impression is that it can develop into either a very specific or a very diverse commentary. Schulkin (neuroscience, Georgetown Univ.) tackles the latter, as indicated in the work's subtitle. In nine chapters, the author provides information to answer the following questions: when did this start (evolutionarily)? What are the similarities and differences among play, sport, and war? Is excellence in sport genetically or epigenetically determined? If/when a sports person is injured, how does recovery occur? How are sports different and similar with regard to biological, physical, and emotional requirements? How have diverse populations gained entry into sports? The book contains 47 illustrations and 15 tables that support the text but are a bit uneven in their level of complexity and explanation (e.g., photos of sports people versus evolutionary lineages of neurotransmitter variability). References are cited throughout the text, and there is an appended 35-page list of complete citations. A 10-page topic and name index helps locate specific items. This work is recommended reading for individuals interested in "a biological, philosophical, and cultural perspective" on sport. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. --Lee A. Meserve, Bowling Green State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review

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