Sport Technology : History, Philosophy and Policy

With innovations in sports equipment, doping methods and human engineering on the horizon, the ethical issues raised by such technology have become noticeably acute. The problematization of technology in sport has gone largely unnoticed in historical, philosophical and policy studies of sport, but this study traces the origins, present contexts and future of sport technology. This volume speaks to a multi-disciplinary audience, developing theory of technology and sport. It provides a foundation for theorising technological issues in sport, building upon themes in cultural studies of the cyborg, otherness and gender. The book begins with an initial contextualising of sport technology, tracing the historical roots of key moments of technological development. Subsequently, chapters work towards theorising technology in sport, providing a socio-philosophical context to ways of understanding technology. From here, applied philosophical and ethical issues focus on the themes of fearing the other, virtual reality in sport, and the use of genetic technology to augment athletic performances. Perspectives draw upon a range of theory, including the works of Alasdair MacIntyre, Jacques Ellul, Don Ihde, Donna Haraway, Andrew Feenberg, Charles Taylor, Langdon Winner, Hilary Putnam, Richard Rorty, John Rawls and Michel Foucault. This book should be relevant to scholars of sport or technology from a diverse range of perspectives. Framed by the broad disciplines of history, philosophy and policy, the issues discussed can have importance for subjects as diverse as theoretical medicine, philosophy of sport and policy studies in technology. For the latter, the aim is to provide a theoretical and ethical grounding for a coherent theory of sport performance.