Research on the Existence of Victory in Competition Against Oneself (VICAO)

抄録

In modern sports there are many phenomena which cannot be explained from the perspective of competition against others and the criteria that distinguish between victory and defeat. This paper will refer to these phenomena that require a philosophical explanation as 'victory in competition against oneself' (VICAO). Based on competition against oneself, this paper aims to identify VICAO by using the example of Son Yeon-Jae from three perspectives (what, how, why), which are the starting points of philosophy. This paper approaches the objective in the following manners: first, the concept of competition against oneself will be reviewed based on the works of Carolyn E. Thomas, John W. Loy, and Leslie A. Howe; second, based on the works of Paul Weiss, and Thomas, this paper identifies what records and performance are; third, this paper identifies what VICAO is based on Howe's first level of competition against oneself, which can apply to the concept of excellence; lastly, using a particular assumption, this paper identifies how one can achieve VICAO and why one counts oneself as having won a victory in VICAO. Through these processes, the following points are clarified:(1) records and performance can be considered excellence through a comparison with oneself based on self-improvement;(2) the victory by Son Yeon-Jae is VICAO defined by herself based on having achieved physical excellence;(3) for athletes, the necessary condition for VICAO is to affirm the process and means by obeying constitutive rules, and the reason why one can count oneself as having won a victory in VICAO is that they can affirm themself, based on the premise that they achieved excellence by obeying constitutive rules as an internal struggle. From the information stated above, this paper will suggest the significance of VICAO as a possible alternative to the inherent tendency in modern sports to win in competition against others at any cost.