chapter
3
Philosophy
and Leisure
Discussion:
Subject: “Shifting Values”
• Contemporary philosophers and social
scientists have argued that in the last several
hundred years there has been a fundamental
shift in the values of Western society. We no
longer define the good life in terms of leisure.
– Why do we value work over leisure?
– How do we now define ‘the good life’?
Relevance of Philosophy
to Recreation and Leisure Studies
• Philosophy helps us to more clearly
understand our leisure values, improving our
abilities as leisure service providers.
• Philosophy helps us to be better leisure
services providers by giving us a method for
solving the practical ethical dilemmas that all
leisure providers face during their careers.
Why Does Philosophy Matter?
• Creates a grounding in philosophical reasoning to help people
become ethical service providers.
• Leisure service providers are likely to encounter many vexing
ethical dilemmas during their careers.
• Leisure service providers are often put in a position of trust when
working with vulnerable populations.
• Leisure service providers are expected to exercise a high degree
of responsibility and provide healthful activities.
• Organized leisure services is a serious undertaking that imposes
significant ethical responsibilities on service providers.
Philosophy Helps
Leisure Service Providers
Solve Ethical Issues
1. Philosophizing can be used to clarify our leisure
values.
2. It provides a method to resolve specific ethical
dilemmas.
These two functions of philosophic inquiry:
1) values clarification and 2) ethical dilemma solving
can complement each other.
Greek Philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophers used their
“powers of reasoning” to determine the best
style of life.
• Their goal was to develop systematic knowledge
about how the behavior of both individuals and society
could be optimized.
• Greeks focused on questions of ethics (for optimizing
the lifestyle of the individual) and politics (for
optimizing the functioning of the state).
Plato and Aristotle
• Their intellectual focus was to determine how people
should live their lives.
• Both recognized that knowledge about “how” people
could optimize their lives was important.
• They understood that knowledge of ethics had
practical applications for instructing both individuals
and societies on how they should behave.
• Both believed that the proper development of an
individual’s character traits was the key to living an
optimal lifestyle.
Plato’s Theory of Leisure
• Plato separated “good” leisure activities from
“bad.” Only certain types of virtuous leisure were
allowed, e.g., controlling storytelling and music. He
was fearful of recreation that excited the emotions.
• The legacy of Plato’s political philosophy is present
in leisure services today: Recreational
programming and activities should contribute to
positive character development.
• Plato’s belief was that leisure and recreation are
important tools for influencing individuals and
society.
Aristotle’s Philosophy of Leisure
• Advocated the repression of women and slaves. They
were not allowed the luxury of leisure.
• Privilege was reserved for the male citizenry.
• Leisured elite were expected to strive for selfperfection.
• Living the ideal lifestyle required following habits of
living that were virtuous and avoiding those filled with
vices.
Aristotle and Happiness
Aristotle believed that happiness results from
being the best we can be.
• The person who has the most rewarding lifestyle is the
philosopher who is at leisure to develop his intellect to
its highest capacity.
• Human fulfillment results from achieving excellence from
things we choose to do when we use our leisure
correctly.
Aristotle and Freedom
Freedom is a very important element of
Aristotle’s concept of virtuous leisure.
1. We should seek freedom from material wants so
that we can have time for leisure and not be
enslaved by our work.
2. We should seek intellectual freedom to understand
why virtuous leisure activities are good.
3. Freedom is the essential characteristic of any
virtuous leisure activity.
Contemporary Philosophy of Leisure
• It is difficult to think of excellence apart from
working.
• We value activities that can be made productive.
• Modern society is very work oriented.
• The ancient Greeks were work averse. Work was
only a necessity of life. They valued work primarily
as a means of obtaining leisure.
• Modern lifestyles appear to have reversed that
equation.
Weber’s Analysis of the Work Ethic
• Weber created the construct of the
“Protestant work ethic,” which refers to a
cultural ideal that regards work as the most
important activity in a person’s life.
• New reverence for work arose from the
Protestant Reformation.
• It is work—not leisure—that makes life
worth living, which culturally defines our
conception of the good life.
Russell’s Critique of the Work Ethic
• Preindustrial societies were based on a “slave
morality.”
• Modern technology created an abundance of goods
so that everyone could have a leisured lifestyle.
• However, leisure continued to be reserved for the
upper crust in society and denied to the working
class.
• Proposed a work-sharing arrangement. By reducing
work to 4 hours per day, people would still have the
freedom to pursue cultural and intellectual interests.
Pieper’s Critique of the Work Ethic
• We no longer know what leisure is; we live in a totally work-oriented
culture.
• Liberal arts disciplines such as philosophy are treated as a type of
“intellectual labor,” only valued for their usefulness for solving
practical problems.
• Knowledge for knowledge’s sake is devalued by the culture of work.
• Our leisure time is useful if it refreshes us so that we can resume our
work with renewed vigor.
• Our worship of work produces a meaningless, unsatisfying lifestyle.
• We live to work well, rather than working so that we can live well.
Veblen’s Critique of Consumption
• Veblen defined ostentatious displays of wealth as
“conspicuous consumption.” He criticized the
super rich of his era—the Vanderbilts, Carnegies,
and Rockefellers—as status seekers using wealth
amassed from 19th century business empires to
give themselves an air of nobility.
• In a consumer culture success is measured by the
luxurious and expensive goods we own, which
increase our social status.
Other Critiques of Consumption
• We must be highly productive to pay for it.
• Our careers require us to put in long days at work,
leaving us little time or energy for family and
friends, thus restricting our leisure.
• It encourages us to think of leisure as a basket of
commodities from which we pick and choose.
Instead of being participants of unique and
personal recreation activities, we are consumers of
leisure experiences designed and mass produced
by others.
Commodification of Leisure
• We tell employees that we value wellness. But what
we are really worried about are rising absenteeism
and medical expenses.
• We take minivacations that cause the least
disruption of our work schedules and take along our
laptop computers, cell phones,
and so on.
• A commodified view of leisure is based on the
implicit premise that our leisure activities are a
means to achieving some other goal.
Robert Putnam: Bowling Alone
• Americans are becoming increasingly socially
isolated.
• Membership in community organizations
dropped dramatically at the end of the 20th
century.
• Americans have become less satisfied with
their lives because they have experienced a
decline in their social capital.
Solving Ethical Dilemmas
in Leisure Services
Socially responsible leisure service
providers need to have a macro, or “bigpicture,” understanding of the broad
social and ethical issues that affect the
quality of people’s leisure lives.
Tanning Bed Case: A Reflection
At a multipurpose community recreation center,
patrons have indicated that they would like the
recreation center to install tanning beds.
• The staff considers the possible negative health
effects.
• Patrons are dismayed and even outright hostile over
the staff’s decision to reject the equipment
suggestion.
REFLECT on the scenario presented in the
chapter. What are the ethical dilemmas? What is
the plausible solution?
Ethical Analysis: Three Approaches
1. Consequence-based ethics: weighing the
consequences
2. Duty-based ethics: evaluating the duties and
obligations
3. Virtue-based ethics: consulting one’s
conscience
Summary
• Serious social and ethical issues arise as one
helps people improve the quality of their lives.
• Philosophy helps us understand and morally
evaluate the larger social issues in which
leisure service providers must operate.
• Philosophical analysis helps solve the ethical
dilemmas that we are sure to encounter as
practicing professionals.
Discussion
Ethical Dilemma: Women’s Softball – Who can play?
Consider the following when thinking about the problem:
•
Consequence-based ethics: weighing the consequences
•
Duty-based ethics: evaluating the duties and obligations
•
Virtue-based ethics: consulting one’s conscience