Review: The Philosophy of Football

The Philosophy of Football by Steffen Borge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book engages with interesting and important philosophical questions about sport. Borge uses football (soccer) as the stand-in and best exemplar of sport, but much of what he discusses is relevant more broadly. Borge chews deeply into the arguments and brings to bear philosophical discussion beyond sport: from epistemology, theories of social kinds, aesthetics and much more. He brings in real-life examples and illustrations from football that both enliven the text and provide important context. Conceptually, it is a challenging and rigorous book: some amount of serious acquaintance with philosophy is expected and necessary.

There are four main chapters, each focusing on a different thematic issue. The first deals with the question of sport fictionalism. The second with sport as social kind and what that means for analyzing sport. The third is Borge’s critique of Bernard Suits’ classic argument about the nature of games (and sport). The last is a discussion of sport and aesthetics.

For the rest of my review: https://sportsethicist.com/2026/06/25...

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Review: Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life

Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life by Harold S. Kushner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short book that touches on many of the themes of Rabbi Kushner’s work. It’s a balance of stories, theology, and religion. Mixing life advice with biblical and Talmudic commentary, Rabbi Kushner covers topics from his conception of God, the problem of evil, morality, forgiveness, and meaning in life.

It is interesting and touching with generally good (if not a bit anodyne) advice about living a more meaningful and satisfying life. But it is also too familiar—that is, having read Rabbi Kushner’s work, there were few surprises or innovations. It was still good to reiterate and refamiliarize myself with these ideas and Kushner’s approach, but I think I was hoping for something a bit different or new.

What I found most engaging was when Kushner would explain his interpretations of different biblical stories. From the Garden of Eden to the binding of Isaac, Kushner’s approach is enlightening and compelling; providing a context to understand these stories in ways that are more interesting (and less concerning) than many traditional interpretations. As a linguistic nerd, I also enjoyed how he rooted his approach in the original meanings of the Hebrew texts.

Though this book is very much rooted in a theistic framework, I think nontheists and agnostics will find value in many (though not all) of Kushner’s discussions.


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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the Full Cast Editions I've listened to, I remembered the least from my original reading of HBP. I guess much of this book just didn't stick with me the way earlier books did. In some ways, it is one of the weaker books. It doesn't stand that well on its own; it is more of a bridge from OoP to DH, setting up the final act. There is also a bit too much snogging! But the last third of the book is also some of the best. If you don't shed a few tears by the end, I am not sure you're human.

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Review: The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion

The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion by Walter Mosley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Walter Mosley is best known as a mystery writer, but these two short speculative fiction novellas demonstrate his incredible range as a writer. The Gift of Fire is a continuation/update of the Prometheus myth, and it is written in the style of a classical myth/epic poem. On the Head of the Pin is more squarely in the science-fiction genre. Both stories wrestle with what it is to be human, the connection to the divine (broadly construed), and with nature of good and evil/love and hatred. These are very different stories with very different styles, but pair well together. They explore these themes in their own parallel ways and though there is tragedy in each, they end on notes of hope and optimism about humanity.

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