From Phenomenology to Existentialism – Philosophical Approaches Towards Sport

Abstract

The spectrum of methods (cf. Osterhoudt 1974 Osterhoudt, Robert G. 1974. Modes of philosophic inquriy concerning sport – some reflections on method. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, : 137–41. [Google Scholar]) and the modes of thought that are used to analyse the world of sports are enormous. However, in international contexts, the range of philosophical reflections often seems to be reduced to a dichotomous structure, i.e. the analytical and the phenomenological approach. While the analytical position is linked to Anglo-Saxon countries, the phenomenological tradition is ascribed to continental philosophers. In this paper, firstly, I will address this seeming dichotomy of the continental and the Anglo-Saxon positions – being well aware of the problems of such generalisations. Secondly, I will sketch some key aspects of the phenomenology of movement and, especially, the phenomenological methodology from a German/French/Dutch perspective. Thirdly, I will focus on the existentialist interpretation of sports and how the existential philosophy is rooted in the phenomenological tradition. And finally, I will outline some advantages and limitations of the phenomenological method.