Friday, August 21, 2009

Sports and selfishness

Here's an interesting article that is sure to generate discussion among Objectivists and other sports fans alike:
Allen Iverson and the Virtue of Selfishness
I especially appreciate how the author, Roger Pimentel, points out that selfishness and cooperation don't automatically and necessarily conflict.

Though Pimentel contrasts the career - and character - of Allen Iverson with that of Howard Roark in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, referring to Iverson as one of the great 'creators' of basketball, he doesn't mention what Iverson himself thinks of Rand, or if Iverson is even aware of Rand.

Sports strikes me as being a natural venue for the promotion of Objectivist morality, due partly to the overwhelming popularity of sports as well as its being an area where the pursuit of the best is on display. Personally, I think the emphasis on selflessness in sports is misplaced, especially in those sports where athletes compete as individuals, and has always struck me as being unnatural, forced and unconvincing. It played a major role in turning me off of athletics when I was younger.

Via Randex

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