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USING PHILOSOPHY TO EXPLORE THE BIG IDEAS BEHIND FITNESS AND WAYS TO ENJOY EXERCISE WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR MIND BEHIND It can often seem as though existence is split in two body and mind, flesh and spirit, moving and thinking. In the office or at study we are mind workers, with seemingly superfluous bodies. Conversely, in the gym we stretch, run and lift, but our minds are idle. In How to Think About Exercise, author and philosopher Damon Young challenges this idea of separation, revealing how fitness can develop our bodies and minds as one. Exploring exercises and sports with the help of ancient and modern philosophy, he uncovers the pleasures, virtues and big ideas of fitness. By learning how to exercise intelligently, we are contributing to our overall enjoyment oflife and enhancing our full humanity.
About the Author
I'm an Australian philosopher, author and columnist.I'm the author or editor of seven books, including five adult nonfiction and two children's books.I'm an Honorary Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, and Founding Faculty at the School of Life, Melbourne.In 2013 I was awarded the AAP's Media Prize for my work in public philosophy.I live in Melbourne's eastern suburbs with my wife, son and daughter.Nonfiction BooksMy new book, for UK Pan Macmillan's School of Life series, is How to Think About Exercise. It's out now in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, India. Other territories may follow.My last book was Philosophy in the Garden, described by The Australian as "fluent and stylish and never marred by cliches or cliched thinking." The UK edition, Voltaire's Vine and Other Philosophies, will be published in April 2014 by Rider, an imprint of Random House. Editions will follow in Holland (Ten Have) , Turkey (Can) and other territories soon.My first book was Distraction, published in Australia, the US and UK. The UK's Financial Times called it "lucid and optimistic". It's also published in Mexico, in Spanish.I'm also the editor, with Graham Priest, of Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness. My next book with Graham, Philosophy and the Martial Arts: Engagement, will be out in 2014 with Routledge.Nonfiction BooksMy first children's picture book, My Nanna is a Ninja, will be published by UQP in March 2014. My second will follow in 2015. Both are illustrated by Peter Carnavas.Opinion, Features and ReviewsI've published opinion, features and reviews for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Australian Literary Review, Herald-Sun and BBC. I'm a regular columnist for the ABC and Canberra Times. My work is published in The Best Australian Science Writing 2013.I've also written poetry and fiction for Overland and Meanjin magazines.Radio and TelevisionI regularly comment on radio, including a monthly spot as a 'Modern Dilemmas' panelist on Radio National's 'Life Matters'. I was a regular guest on 'Mornings' with Alan Brough on ABC 774, 'philosopher-in-residence' on 'Afternoons' with James Valentine on ABC Sydney 702, and 'sports philosopher' with Francis Leach on SEN 1116. I've also spoken on television: ABC's 'The Drum' and 'Hack' and Channel 7's 'Sunrise'.Academic BackgroundI have a PhD in Philosophy, after a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and Literature. I am an Honourary Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, where I was a Research Fellow in Aesthetics from 2005-2007.
