Sports and philosophy went hand in hand for the ancient Greeks and Romans, and philosophical conversation was a recognized part of gym life throughout Greco-Roman antiquity. Athens’s Lyceum was a gym—and reportedly a hangout of that philosophical gym rat Socrates—before it became the site of Aristotle’s school. Fittingly, that gym is the setting of the Greek satirist Lucian’s Anacharsis, a witty philosophical dialogue that wrestles with questions about the purpose and value of sports—questions that we are still grappling with in our own sports- and fitness-obsessed times. How to Compete presents a new translation of Lucian’s timeless classic, inviting us into a ringside debate about the point of sports.
| Publisher | Island Press |
| Author | Lucian |
| Country | USA |
| Publication Date | 24/02/2026 |
| Pages | 208 |
| Edition | first |
| About the Author | Lucian (c. 125–180 CE) was one of the most popular writers in the ancient Greek-speaking world. With brilliant wit and rhetorical charm, his dialogues examined contemporary religious, philosophical, and cultural beliefs. Heather L. Reid is professor emerita at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. Her books include Introduction to the Philosophy of Sport and Athletics and Philosophy in the Ancient World. Phillip Mitsis is the A. S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization at New York University. His books include The Oxford Handbook of Epicurus and Epicureanism. |
| Publisher Address | info@islandpress.org |
| ISBN | 9780691281407 |
