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Question: Theory of Knowledge question on the legalization of performance enhancing drugs in sports!?
Can someone please help me!? i need to do a presentation and i have no idea how to do it!. basically, i have two knowledge claims: performance enhancing drugs significantly and unfairly boost an athlete's performance!. performance enhancing drugs cause harm to an athlete's body and thus should be banned!. my counter claims are: technology already gives an unfair advantage such as in training programmes and attire (swimsuits)!. other drugs that help people also have harmful side effects (examples such as penicillin, which can cause allergic reactions)!. but how do i link the ways of knowing and areas of knowledge to my topic!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
It common factor is the purpose and economics of sport!. The common factors of your claim and counter-claim are:
Sport is designed to compare the abilities of the humans, not the ability of the drugs
Sports are designed to entertain an audience who's ethics demand that no preventable harm come to the participants!. The same demand to remove harmful drugs also results in the invention of better protection equipment such as helmets!.
Sports requires fairness to maintain customers, and therefore controls all performance enhancing objects, not just drugs!. Aluminum bats in baseball, for example!. Which objects (including drugs) provide unfair enhancement is subjective, and subject to the will of the customer!.
Generally, drugs and medical applications that are curative rather than enhancing are generally ignored, since the prohibition of a curative medicine would violate the sports fan ethics!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
There are really no epistemological issues here and there is no need to bring it in!. It has more to do with legislation and arbitrary rules sports bodies make for athletes!. That's why you are finding it so hard to bring it in!. I don't know what your major point of departure is: sport or philosophy!. If it is philosophy and you are trying to do a 'philosophy of sport' treatment on an area of sport, then it may be better to focus not so much on the legal aspects as the why we judge or evaluate 'performance' or perfection in sport!. What do we mean by 'perfect' in sport!? What part does 'beauty' (as defined by some of the Greek philosophers) in sport play in our criteria!? One can see that it would be a fertile area to explore!.Www@QuestionHome@Com