Doping Aristotle Flashcards
Pro ban:
- respect for the game
- unfair advantage
- harms (esp. health)
- coercion
- unintended consequences
Anti-ban:
- unwarranted paternalism
- singling out drugs is inconsistent
- unfairness, coercion, and harm arguments lack force
Aristotle describes the golden mean as a state…
intermediate between excess and deficiency
Golden mean is not an _____.
average
Golden mean is relative to the ______, thus cannot be ______ _____.
- individual
- generalized mathematically
When we act from the golden mean, we act ______.
virtuously
Acting from excess or deficiency is a _____.
vice
Aristotle’s concept of the golden mean: deficiency, balance, excess examples:
- cowardice, courage, rashness
- sloth, ambition, greed
- humility, modesty, pride
- apathy, composure, irritability
- indecisiveness, self control, impulsiveness
Eudaimonia:
- ultimate purpose in life
- activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue
Seek _____ through _____ actions in line with the ____ ____.
- eudaimonia
- virtuous
- golden mean
Does the mean apply to everything?
- some actions are just ethical in themselves so to diminish them in search for a mean is wrong (love, friendship)
- some actions are just unethical in themselves and have no mean (murder, adultery)
- if it is just wrong, there is no mean
Wrong question with regards to doping:
- is it acceptable to cheat by using banned substances?
- asking whether following rules is ethical
Right question with regards to doping:
- is the ban on doping justified?
- examining the rules
Purpose in life is to seek _____. It is the ____ of our activity.
- eudaimonia
- telos
Virtues are important for 2 reasons:
- they promote eudaimonia
- they stitch together our quest for purpose (telos)
Eudaimonia must be _____. It is not enough to ….
- practiced
- know what is virtuous
3 positions in golden mean:
- deficiency
- excess
- moderation
First attitude:
winning
Deficient, excessive, and moderate positions with winning:
- deficient: indifference
- excessive: fanatic
- moderate: caring
Is the ban justified with winning?
- justified to guard against fanaticism
- unnecessary at the deficient position
- possibly unnecessary at the moderate position
Second attitude:
agency
Deficient, excessive, and moderate positions with agency:
- deficient: determinism
- excessive: radical freedom
- moderate: constrained freedom
Is the ban justified with agency?
- supported at the excessive end to protect the freedom of human agency
- bans are irrelevant at the deficient end
- drugs could be used from the moderate position. Case by case assessment of whether agency is unduly compromised
Third attitude:
health and harm
Deficient, excessive, and moderate positions with health and harm:
- deficient: cowardice
- excessive: rashness
- moderate: courage
Is the ban justified with health and harm?
- supported at the rash end
- unnecessary at the cowardice end
- unnecessary at the courage point, but for different reasons (athletes may still dope, but responsibly. Bans preclude athletes from showing courage)
Fourth attitude:
quality of performance
Deficient, excessive, and moderate positions with quality of performance:
- deficient: mediocrity
- excessive: perfection
- moderate: excellence
Is the ban justified with quality of performance?
- justified because perfection is termination for sport and so bans are needed
- unneeded at the mediocrity end
- likely unneeded for a virtuous athlete who would weigh various strategies before choosing which assists her more in attaining excellence
If we engage in sport as these types of individuals, then the ban becomes relevant but unnecessary:
- want (but not have) to win
- are modest (but not boastful) about human agency and merit
- are courages (but not foolish or rash) regarding the risks in sport
- are perpetually in search of excellence (but avoid the siren call of perfectionism)
If we are athletes at the golden mean, any harm done by doping would be ____ and thus any good from _____ _____ is minimal, and the ___ greater.
- moderate
- paternalistic interventions
- harm
_____ athletes do not need a ban.
virtuous
Is sport virtuous today?
- no
- winning honourably is not as important as winning
- cheating is rewarded as long as it results in the W
- many athletes see sport as a job not a passion
Until athletes become _____, the ban is likely _____.
- virtuous
- needed
______ _____ rules are okay.
voluntary paternalistic
Former WADA director Dick Pound says:
- sport is governed by all sorts of agreed upon arbitrary rules
- get over it
- you can opt out of them so you are free
- athletes do not have the right to question those rules
In terms of freedom, consider:
- athletes must give up the choice to abide by the rules
- the consent given to enter sports is valid
WADA strives also to _____ _____ athletes, in the sense that they are not entitled to question the _____ of the doping regulations laid down by sport governing bodies. this cannot be justified _____.
- educate uncritical athletes
- foundation
- paternalism
WADA’s information is directed toward ____ of doping not on the ….
- risks
- best way to prevent harm from doping
Athletes are told the only way to prevent harm is to…
surrender their autonomy
WADA threatens…
do what I tell you are else you’re gone
_____ is not grounds for freely given consent.
coercion
From a contractualist position, it seems WADA is…
unethical because it coerces athletes
A focus on ____ ethics shifts the debate.
virtue
Maybe WADA should be…
- encouraging athletes to become virtuous
- devote some effort at promoting eudaimonia
- if it was successful at this, the ban could be lifted
