The Phenomenology and the Philosophy of Running

The Phenomenology and the Philosophy of Running

This is what the author Tapio Koski looked like right after his first marathon in May 1999. He ran alone, left for the run at 8:00 PM, and arrived home shortly after midnight at 0:19 AM. Koski s intended 24 km run turned into a full marathon, underprepared for the energy consumption with only 1 l of water and a couple of sweets. The book contains a detailed description of the experience

Tapio Koski The Phenomenology and the Philosophy of Running The Multiple Dimensions of Long-Distance Running 123

Tapio Koski University of Tampere Kaukovainio, Oulu, Finland ISBN 978-3-319-15596-8 ISBN 978-3-319-15597-5 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-15597-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015935330 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Translation from the Finnish language edition: Juoksemisen filosofia by Tapio Koski, Tampere University Press, Tampere, 2005. All rights reserved Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www. springer.com)

For the first 38 years of my life I did not do any kind of physical exercise. My hobbies had more to do with drinking beer and smoking. Now I m almost 43. Five years ago, at the darkest winter period I found it difficult to fall asleep in the evenings and, consequently, very difficult to get up from the bed in the morning. I had a constant flu and my back was aching. The doctor could not name any illness to explain my condition. He only made a discrete suggestion that someone doing light office work should do at least some kind of physical exercise in order to stay in good health. Since I felt obliged to change my lifestyle somehow, the idea was to discover a physical exercise that would make sense to me. There was no sport from the youth that I could have restarted, and none of the ball games appealed to me. The idea of going to a gym sounded repulsive. The only thing that I could think of was jogging. Or, that s how I called it then. I don t use that word any longer. Today, I call myself a runner. The first running attempts 5 years ago were quite a challenge. Jogging turned into walking only after a couple of 100 m. The experience made me angry; I could not bare such wretchedness in myself. So, I set myself a target. I chose one silver birch not far from home and decided to run there from home without stopping. It was only the third attempt that finally proved successful. I had, however, reached the first target and gotten my reward.

vi I had beaten the inner loser in myself, which plead for mercy and asked me to stop running. The next target was to reach a rock a little further away. That is how it got started. Eventually the distances grew. The pain I used to feel had been replaced by joy and warmth. My legs, my lungs, and the rest of my body were getting accustomed to physical exercise and sent the message about good feeling instead of pain and fatigue that used to be the case. I was totally hooked. The mental pleasure about my capability and strength introduced by muscular exercise were like a drug to me. Written by my friend Jorma Peussa, thank You, Jorma!

Foreword Nine years ago I was sitting contentedly on my porch reading a book which Tapio Koski, a brand-new friend, had brought to me the day before. Dr. Koski had come to interview me for a popular Finnish Quarterly because of my forthcoming seventieth birthday and we had had a nice conversation about the possibilities of phenomenological philosophy in these modern days in this modern world. At first sight the new book Tapio had brought to me had appeared somewhat elusive and tantalizing. For me its topic was very different from the usual and normal. It was his first book on the philosophy of running. I am not very familiar with running but soon I found the subject utterly fascinating. It was obvious that philosophers had once again neglected a highly attractive phenomenon. Of course, running had tended to be approached occasionally in a fragmentary manner as part of some larger enterprise. Seldom had the topic of running been handled in a comprehensive manner as a subject of intrinsic interests. This certainly is the case because running itself is making it difficult to achieve a synoptic view on the subject and the role it takes in our Lebenswelt. In the light of Tapio Koski s book it was obvious that a philosophical investigation of running could be worked up from the simplest examples to its most sophisticated manifestations. Koski s personal habit of discussing the topic also appealed to me. We have never lost contact. Today I am happy to have the possibility to say these few words about Tapio Koski s new book, now about its English Edition and the new form it has taken in these 9 years, very much advanced in understanding of the human body and mind, presenting his exceptional research, which fascinates me not only because of the topic itself, which still is out of the ordinary. Tapio Koski has been fortunate to discover a topic which offers immensely great opportunities to be explored, at the same time presenting basic human philosophical themes in a new, fascinating conceptual environment. Koski exploits the structural description of the human mode of being introduced by Martin Heidegger initially in his Sein und Zeit, known as existential analysis. Another source of inspiration comes from Maurice Merleau-Ponty. vii

viii Foreword He and Heidegger form together a new type of exciting and prominent basement of a conceptual building which I constantly find so illuminating and promising. Koski works here in an exceptionally skillful and original way. From the viewpoint of Koski s work, it is not important whether his reading of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty is thoroughly right and generally acceptable as an interpretation of their ideas. Rather, it is more important to see what he manages to make out of those ideas. In my opinion Koski is one of those very few who have managed to present interesting and insightful views on a topic which has not been formerly covered in philosophy. Having familiarized myself with the work I can only wonder the lack of former understanding how fascinating connections the philosophy of running may have with the more traditional motifs of philosophical thinking. Koski introduces these connections in an elaborate yet unassertive way. The work is of high standard methodologically as well. In the philosophy of running attentiveness to one s own inner life is vital. It is a phenomenon of the human mind that needs to be analyzed. Based on what I have seen so far, I dare to expect Koski s work to fulfil the highest standards in this respect as well. Emeritus Professor of Art Education and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Chairman of the Finnish Society for Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, SFFS, Jyväskylä, Finland 25 November 2014 Lauri Olavi Routila

Preface Years ago, when I was young and had started my studies in sociology and philosophy at Tampere University, Finland, I was also regularly exercising running and karate-do. I came to notice that I was reflecting my perceptions of my own experiences and of the human being as an exercising being. I came to realize that the human body contains particular wisdom from which one can learn. One would only need to start looking for this wisdom. I was struck by the feeling that when I reshape my ideas in the form of research, it may be of some value for philosophical and physical education. My desire to clarify the nature of my own exercising coupled with the above triggered the idea to further investigate this area, leading me to the path of doing research. In this way the starting point for my research became settled on its own. My doctoral dissertation 1 was published in the year 2000, followed by The Philosophy of Running in Finnish in 2005. The extended edition of the latter is what you are reading at the moment. The translation process was long and demanding, and getting a publishing contract took several years. The philosophy of physical exercise is a new research area in occidental academic philosophy. There are not many philosophers and researchers who at the same time are themselves part of the subject of their study. This is probably why after 2005 I have not been able to locate but one book in which the connection between running and philosophy has been investigated from a participatory point of view. In book Running and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind (2007) contains 18 articles the authors of which are all runners. There isn t a single monograph that I know of. Thus, I have been forced to explore unknown waters of philosophy. 1 Physical Exercise as a Way of Life and a Method for Spiritual Growth with Yoga and Zen-budo as Examples. Only in Finnish. Abstract: http://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/67035?show=full. ix

x Preface The publishers expressed the wish to shorten the subtitle to its current form. The purpose of the original subtitle (The multiple dimensions of long-distance running how to challenge oneself through the flesh) was to bring up both the role and significance of the body in running and taking one s life into possession, the will and the spirit. Kaukovainio, Oulu, Finland 28 November 2014 Tapio Koski

Acknowledgements I dedicate this book to my son Roope and wish to express my gratitude to Timo Klemola Ph.D. for explicating the research topic, Annamaija Leinonen who appeared as a new star in my life towards the end of the translation project, translator, Janne Rissanen MA, with whom we formed a dynamic ensemble, and Tere Vadén Ph.D. for his valuable expertise in commenting on the translation. The work was supported financially by Polar Electro Ltd, Esju Ltd, Timo Tarvainen Ph.D., Matti Parkkali MA, and Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, which is gratefully acknowledged. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to professor emeritus Lauri Routila who at the finalizing phase of the translation reviewed the manuscript and wrote the foreword. xi

Contents 1 Introduction... 1 2 Running as Phenomenological and Bodily Inquiry of the Self... 17 3 The Philosophical Foundation of Running... 25 3.1 The Groundwork of Maurice Merleau-Ponty s Philosophy... 26 3.2 Merleau-Ponty s Philosophy of the Body... 28 3.3 Martin Heidegger s Fundamental Ontological Philosophy... 35 4 Long-Distance Running as the Subject of the Study... 45 5 Running as a Way of Life... 53 6 Viewpoints to a Long-Distance Runner... 61 6.1 The They,AuthenticBeing and InauthenticBeing... 61 6.2 Authenticity and Inauthenticity of Running... 68 6.3 Running as Care... 69 6.4 Prerequisites of PhysicalExercise... 75 6.5 Uncovering and Covering of the World for a Runner... 80 6.6 The Distant Is Far andnear... 83 6.7 Repetition... 87 6.8 Running, False Devotion, Fanaticism and Dependence... 89 6.9 Ready-to-Hand and Present-at-Hand as the Dimensions of HumanRelationship with the World... 91 6.10 The World as Present... 103 7 The World Is Running... 107 7.1 Running Experiences... 107 7.2 The Buddhist Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei... 112 8 Experiential Cores... 119 8.1 Disappearance of the Contradiction Between the Subject and Object... 120 8.2 Calming Down One s Mind,Quietness... 121 xiii

xiv Contents 8.3 Attunement... 123 8.4 Presence... 125 8.5 Power... 126 8.6 Joy... 129 8.7 Devotion,Gratitude... 129 8.8 True Self, Enlightenment,Absolute... 131 9 Going Beyond the Reason and the Wisdom of the Body... 135 9.1 Running as Meditative Thinking... 135 9.2 The Call of Conscience... 140 9.3 Active-PassiveProcess... 150 10 Conclusion... 159 Literature... 169