L. Anthony

Anthony Laker leads an outstanding international team of educational theorists in critically examining the theoretical underpinnings of physical education, and in challenging the rhetoric, the practices and the pedagogies that prevail in our schools. There has been a great deal of discussion surrounding the value of this subject in schools, particularly around the form that physical education should take. The domination of physical education teaching by the scientific / technical discourses is problemized and it is suggested that this domination limits the potential of the subject to be culturally and contextually relevant to students in schools. This edited collection aims to extend the worldwide academic debate of the future of physical education in schools by challenging the prevailing 'authorised curricula'. Each contributor address a key contemporary issue in physical education bringing different perspectives as they relate to the evolving issues of the subject. They ask important questions about where we intend to take the knowledge we have gained from a legacy of positive research. These chapters tackle critical issues in modernist physical education and suggest how a re-evaluation could contribute to the continuing advancement of the subject for more diverse educational benefits. Laker draws this body of work together in a conclusion that describes a theoretically and pedagogically innovative physical education curriculum for the 21st century. This book is a summary of the current state of research in physical education. It invites debate and discussions in the field and re-conceptualises physical education theory into inclusive practices located in the postmodern school world.

This text, intended for undergraduates on various education and sport related degree courses, covers the key, current issues in the field of sociology of sport and physical education. The first section of the text covers the importance of sport in culture, its theoretical background, and methodological issues in research. The main body of the text then discusses issues including the sporting body, participation and socialisation into sport, the hidden curriculum, critical pedagogy, and sport and the media. Laker discusses in depth gender, race and ethnicity, class, and equality, and he looks at sport and the media, and the involvement of politics. The chapters are each rounded off with challenging 'reflection' questions, activities and tasks for the reader to fulfill.

This paper will argue the importance of the creation of a moral compass, driven by empathy and a rigorously trained will in higher education leadership to develop a tighter relationship between higher education and wealth equity. We will explore the foundational documents that first discussed these issues within a global context. Further, We explore how these goals, enhanced by insights promulgated by the United Nations, can be achieved by teaching empathy, developing a moral compass and training the will.

Plato uses the most rigorous logic, stories, and analogies in an effort to show what appears to be a mystical vision. Indeed, this is affirmed if we consider his aim of turning the cave dweller towards the light. In essence, as we have seen, this is a turning inward--or the self-reflecting on itself, which ultimately leads to a subject-to-object merging. It is through the cognitive progression, however, from image, to belief, understanding and knowledge that enlightenment is achieved. This, we have seen, corresponds to mystical experiences. Why is this occurring? If we follow Plato’s procession of knowledge, it follows logically that this must occur. The true nature of self (at the lower levels of the hierarchy) cannot be perceived unless directly perceived at the level of forms--where images dissolve. If we examine the dialogues closely, I believe clues can be found that point to the mystical experience. I propose that the merging into one with regard to the tripartite soul--with each component becoming aligned with the rational--which is really a way of “purifying us from the defilements of the passions…”as well as Socrates’ refutation of opinions or belief to find universals are both evidence of a synoptic perspective characteristic of mystics who have achieved a mystical experience.

Evolutionäre Fortschritte, die nicht zum Menschen führen, etwa die Entwicklung der Elefanten, der Wale oder die künftige Evolution des Menschen, die jenseits der menschlichen Kultur stattfinden, müssen gleichwertig mit kulturellen Fortschritten eingestuft werden, damit die Kultur selbst weiterentwickelt werden kann. Angesichts modernster Forschungsergebnisse, die Großartiges in der Kultur und in der Natur nicht zu kurz kommen lassen, bietet diese Arbeit u.a. neue, ausführliche und sorgfältige Definitionen von «Fortschritt» und «Kultur». Bei der Beschreibung und Bewertung von kulturellen Fortschritten wird eine globale, nicht-eurozentrische Perspektive angewendet, woraus ein neues Bild von der Entwicklung der Menschheit Konturen annimmt.

This is a dissertation in social theory. The central task is the development and elaboration of a 'theory of recognition,' which has its origins in the work of G. W. F. Hegel. The point of departure is a reconstruction of the theory of recognition in Hegel's early work. The interpretation of Hegel presented in this study focuses on Hegel as a social theorist. His emphasis on the social conflict generated out of the 'struggle for recognition' helps us understand the relationship between the self-identity and social transformation. ;The study then focuses critically on Jurgen Habermas's Discourse Ethics. The goal is to demonstrate how Habermas's abandonment of the Hegelian themes, especially the struggle for recognition, has weakened the normative potential of his of Discourse Ethics. The work of Axel Honneth, a student of Habermas who has reinterpreted Hegel's theory of recognition with the intention of developing new directions in Critical Theory, is introduced and analyzed, with some criticisms, as an antidote to the weaknesses in Habermas's Discourse Ethics. Honneth's theory of recognition is then further developed as a useful theoretical tool for the analysis of contemporary social problems. The theory of recognition is then subjected to a meta-sociological scrutiny. ;To this end, a presentation of findings from Object Relations Theory is used to provide evidence that recognition from others has, as Charles Taylor puts it, the status of a basic human need. Object Relations Theory is chosen for its intersubjective character and its similarities to Hegel's philosophical ideas. ;The study concludes with a consideration of the importance of the concept of recognition for sociological theory

More than a decade ago, Edward Wilson investigated how to link the sciences and arts in Consilience (1998),1 in which he argues that consilience—the unification of facts—is possible between every subject across the intellectual spectrum. Wilson claims that the sciences, humanities, and arts are linked by reduction from the fine arts, down to the humanities, down, finally, to the natural sciences. For example, René Magritte’s Reckless Sleeper can be understood to be composed of the paints on the canvas, their physical construction, and the feelings the work induces when one looks at the painting. Consilience induced some courses taught on the subject worldwide immediately after its publication; but, most notably ..

This paper starts from the assumption that linguistic diversity, and more generally, cultural diversity, are intrinsically good. I will look at their opposites, linguistic and cultural poverty, and the current tendencies towards the latter within the globalization process. I will also briefly explore the relationship between human rights and cultural diversity, which may be viewed as somewhat problematic, but the emphasis will be on what I consider the essential aspect of that relationship, namely, the mutually reinforcing relationship be-tween rights and diversity, and between their opposites, human rights violations and cultural uniformity . In this context, the issue of legislative protection and promotion of cultural diversity will be investigated from a global perspective. Finally, I wish to assess the roles of Africa and of Africanicity with regard to these issues