Participation ≠ competition

Uh oh, McKinnon is cheating again.

IOC Charter, 4th Fundamental Principle of Olympian: “Participation in sport is a human right.”

You’re wrong. #sorrynotsorry

#factsdontcareaboutyourfeelings

He said it in reply to a tweet that said “I don’t think competing in sport is a human right. Sorry.”

Claim: “I don’t think competing in sport is a human right.”

Counter-claim: “The IOC Charter says ‘Participation in sport is a human right.'”

Where’s the cheating? In the fact that participation is not the same as competing.

That’s especially true of sports/activities like cycling that can be enjoyed perfectly well without other people. Team sports are little fun by oneself; sports like running, cycling, archery, swimming can be plenty of fun by oneself.

That’s the cheating. The silly is treating the IOC as a disinterested source of absolute truth about whether or not sport is a human right. The IOC has an interest in promoting sport, and that might possibly color its interpretation of whether or not it’s a human right. The second silly is treating a random body saying “[participation in] sport is a human right” makes it true. The IOC said it, but the IOC is not a human rights organization or a legislature. McKinnon is all but in “because my dad said so!” territory here. “The IOC thinks it is” would have been a slightly less fatuous response.

McKinnon is remarkably sloppy for someone who teaches philosophy.

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