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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

183117

Restoring or enhancing athletic bodies

Oscar Pistorius and the threat to pure performance

Tara Magdalinski

pp. 237-251

Abstract

The interface between the body and technology presents a perilous moment where the integrity of the former and the validity of the latter might be compromised. A body that succumbs to the temptation of illicit enhancement or is tainted by the presence of threatening technology typically has no place within sport where pure performance demands that uncontaminated participants strive to establish the limits of the human's physical capacity. This chapter examines the junction between nature and technology extant in the athletic body to determine whether technologically enhanced bodies disrupt mainstream conceptions of pure performance. The triadic relationship between sport, the body and performance is interrogated with reference to Oscar Pistorius, a liminal figure whose presence in mainstream sport has been considered a threat to the integrity of sports performance.

Publication details

Published in:

Tolleneer Jan, Sterckx Sigrid, Bonte Pieter (2013) Athleticenhancement, human nature and ethics: threats and opportunities of doping technologies. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 237-251

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-5101-9_13

Full citation:

Magdalinski Tara (2013) „Restoring or enhancing athletic bodies: Oscar Pistorius and the threat to pure performance“, In: J. Tolleneer, S. Sterckx & P. Bonte (eds.), Athleticenhancement, human nature and ethics, Dordrecht, Springer, 237–251.