Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx
《Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx(10页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
SportsandAestheticsKennethGoh
SportsandAesthetics
Name:
GohJunYi,Kenneth
NRIC:
S9028236J
Centre/Index:
3014/0104
SchoolName:
NationalJuniorCollege
SubjectName:
Knowledge&Inquiry
SubjectCode:
9759
1.Introduction
Beitscoringacurlingfreekickinsoccerorviewingadiverperformareversediveinthepikeposition,itisinterestingtonotethatmanyresponseswouldbeonthebeautyandaestheticqualityoftheperformance.Unbeknownsttomostofus,aestheticshavealwaysbeenapartofsportandtheaestheticexperiencegeneratedispartoftheoverallpleasuresderivedfromsport.
Thispaperhasfourmainaims.Iwillunderstandwhataestheticknowledgeinsportsconsistsof,lookintotheconstructionandnatureoftheaestheticknowledgeofsportsandconcludebydiscussingtheimplicationsbroughtaboutbythenatureandconstructionofaestheticknowledgeinsports.
2.Aestheticknowledgeinsports
2.1TheTheoryofFunctionalismApplied
Functionalismdescribesthattheaestheticformsofanartworkarethearrayofchoicesintendedtorealizethepointorpurposeoftheartwork.Hence,thepurposeoftheartworkiscorrelativetotheseaestheticforms.Itisappropriatetolookattheaestheticaspectsofsportusingfunctionalismbecausesportslackaestheticcontentandtheprimaryaestheticportionsofsportaretheaestheticformsthattheypossess.Thiswillbedevelopedfurtherundersection4.1.Also,functionalismisessentialintheevaluationoftheaestheticexperienceinsportasitenablesustolookattheaestheticformsandallowsustoobjectivelyunderstandwhytheseformsprovideanaestheticexperience.
Thus,inthisessay,theaestheticknowledgeinsportconsistsofboththeknowledgeoftheaestheticformsandtheknowledgeofevaluatingtheaestheticexperiencederivedfromsportthroughtheseaestheticforms.
Beforewelookattheconstructionandnatureofaestheticknowledgeinsports,itiscrucialtofirstunderstandwhataestheticsinsportappearas,soastounderstandtheknowledgeofit.Therearetwogeneraltypesofsport–theaestheticandthepurposive.Thisclassificationisimportantasthedifferencesinpurposesofeachtypeofsportresultsinslightlydifferentaestheticformsbeingassociatedwitheachgroup.Aestheticsportsincludeice-skatingandgymnasticswheresuccessfulperformancedependspartlyupontheaestheticmannerinwhichthesport-specificgoalsarepursued.Ontheotherhand,inpurposivesports,theobjectiveistowinwithinthegivenethosandtheaestheticmannerinwhichitisdonehasnosignificanceontheend.Theyincludeballgamessuchashockeyandbasketball.
2.2AestheticandPurposiveSports
Foraestheticsports,becausethesportsarejudgedsignificantlyontheaestheticsoftheperformance,theathletesintendtheaestheticformspresentinthesport.Theseformsservethefunctionsofportrayinggraceandexhibitingtheskillandexecutionoftheathlete.Someoftheseformsincludesymmetry,balance,timing,flowandsupremecontroloftheathlete’sbody.
Ontheotherhand,inpurposivesports,itmaybesaidthatthebeautyoraestheticformsderivedfromsportareby-productsofthesportandareunintentionalforms.Inpurposivesports,thefunctionoftheseformsareintendedtoservethepurposesofattainingthegoalsorendsofthesport-toscoreagoalorpointortoachieveothernon-aestheticends.Thisisthuswhytheaestheticpartofsportisaby-productandnotthecentralpurposeofpurposivesports.However,thisdoesnotmeanthattheseformsarenotaestheticformsbecausetheaestheticpartoftheformcoexiststogetherwiththepracticalpartoftheformandneithercanexistindependentlyfromtheother.Toillustratethispoint,astriker’sshotinsoccerisexamined.Themovementofthesoccerballfollowingthestriker’sshotfunctionstomovetheballinsuchawaythatavoidsallopponentsandtravelsatahighspeedtoenterthegoal.Whileperformingthisfunction,themotionandspeedoftheballareimbuedwithaestheticqualities,transformingthemintoaestheticformsthatappealtothesensesofthespectatorandathlete.Fromthisexample,itisclearthatwhilethepracticalandaestheticpropertiesoftheformsofmovementandspeedoftheballaredistinguishable,theyareinseparable.Hence,aestheticformscanbederivedfrompurposivesportsaswell.
Justlikeaestheticsports,thereexistnumerousaestheticformsinpurposivesports.Theaddeddimensionofpracticalityoftheformsinordertoachievedifferentgoalsinpurposivesportsresultsinslightlydifferentformsassociatedwiththem.Someofthekeyaestheticformsincludesymmetryoftheplay,tempoofthegame,flowandmovementoftheballandplayers,precisetimingforinterceptionorforbreakingthedefense,andexecutionofactions.
2.3IdealCritic
Theabovedescriptionsoftheaestheticformspresentinsportsallowustobetterunderstandwhataestheticsinsportsappearas.Theaestheticformsderivedfromeachsportthencombineandsupplementeachothertoprovideanaestheticexperienceforthespectatororathlete.Afterunderstandingtheknowledgeoftheaestheticforms,itisthenimportanttolookintotheknowledgeofevaluationofaestheticsinsport.
Goldmanproposestheconceptofidealcriticsasthemethodologyinevaluatingaesthetics.Thecharacteristicsofidealcriticsincludebeingunbiased,knowledgeableaboutthesport,beingunderfavourableconditionssuchasnotfeelingfatigued,andhavingsensitivitytoaestheticvalues.Evaluationsofthesportingactivitybyrealcriticsarejustifiedtothedegreethattheyapproximatethoseoftheidealcritic.Hence,thereliabilityofone’saestheticjudgmentusingtheaestheticformsdependsonthesimilaritytothoseoftheidealcritic.
Theseunderstandingssetthestagenicelyforustolookintotheconstructionprocessofaestheticknowledge.
3.TheConstructionofAestheticKnowledgeinSports
Itisimportanttonotethattheaestheticexperiencederivedfromthesportwoulddependonboththetypeofsportincontextandwhetherthepersonisaninvolvedathleteorspectator.Thisisbecause,firstly,aestheticandpurposivesportshaveslightlydifferentaestheticformsassociatedwiththemasstatedinsection2.2,andsecondly,theconstructionprocessesoftheathleteandspectatoraredifferentandthiswillbedevelopedfurtherbelow.
3.1Spectator
Thespectatorfirstusesemotion,intuitionandsensoryperceptiontoprocesstheaestheticexperienceofthesportingactivity.Thespectatoruseshissensoryperception–viewingthesport–totakeintheaestheticexperience,whichconsistsofthecombinationoftheaestheticforms.Intuitionisused,asthejudgmentoftheaestheticexperienceisinstinctiveandinvolvesthefirstimpressionoftheaestheticforms.Emotionisinvolvedasthefeelingsofhappinessandexhilarationoftencomeshandinhandwithanappreciationofaestheticexperience.Thespectatorthenusesintrospectionandlogicduringcontemplationtoreasonouttheaestheticexperiencederivedfromthemyriadofaestheticforms.Thisisdonethroughidentifyingtheaestheticformspresentandtheaestheticrelationsbetweentheaestheticformsthatcontributetotheoverallaestheticexperience.AnexampleofsuchrelationsamongaestheticformsarefoundinF1racing,wheretheaestheticformofhighspeedsupplementstheaestheticformofgrace,asthisleadstoahigherlevelofcontroloftheF1carbythedriver.
Atthesametime,thespectatoroughttoseektoapproximatethecharacteristicsoftheidealcriticsuchasbeingunbiasedandfeelingfreshsoastomaximizethereliabilityoftheevaluation.Todoso,thespectatorwill,forexample,attempttoensurethatheisalertduringevaluation.Hewillalsoattempttoseparatethepreviousexperiencesinvolvingtheathleteswiththecurrentcontexttoavoidbiasinevaluation.Thiswouldbetheconstructionprocessofaestheticknowledgeinsportsbythespectator.
3.2Athlete
Thisisincontrasttotheathlete’sconstructionprocess.Itisundesirableforanyathletetobeincontemplationoftheaestheticexperiencederivedfromhisactivityasthatwouldmeanthattheathleteisnotintheoptimalstateofintensefocus,hencebeingreducedtoaspectatorinthegame.Thisisbecauseanycontemplationoftheaestheticexperienceduringthecourseofthefastpacedperformancewillpreventtheathletefromfullyfocusingonthetechniquesrequiredtoproducethebestpossibleperformance.Forexample,contemplationbyagymnastonheraestheticexperienceduringsportingactivitywilldistractherfromfocusingontechnicalaspects,suchasperfectingherformandensuringsmoothflowoftheswingsontheunevenbars,thatarecrucialforhertoperformwell.
However,thisdoesnotmeanthattheathletecannothaveaestheticexperiencewhileperforminganactivity.Theathlete’sexperienceislogicallyinseparablefromthestrokeheisexecuting,inthesensethattheexperienceisuniquelyidentifiablebyhisactioninthatcontext.Hence,theaestheticexperiencethattheathletehasisaphenomenonthatoccursconcurrentlyanddoesnotnecessarilydependuponcontemplationbytheathlete.Inthecaseofbaseball,theaestheticexperienceofthebatterisinternallyrelatedtotheswingthatheisplaying.Theathletemayalsocontemplateuponhisperformanceoractivityafterithasendedandwillusethesameconstructionprocessasthespectatortocomprehendandaestheticallyevaluatehisperformanceifhewishestodoso.
Ontheotherhand,whatthisalsomeansisthatthedifferencesinconstructionofaestheticknowledgeoftheathleteonlyholdwhentheathleteispro