Artistic Swimming is morally virtuous but not beautiful

Background


With Artistic Swimming (AS) a forthcoming past time in the European Enlightenment period, the roles of reason vs nature in a moral life have dramatic implications for AS today.


FINA defines moral behaviour


Using Kantian rationality from the European Enlightenment era, legislation defines moral behaviour. Adherence to the rules assures a morally virtuous life. Rationality rejects any natural moral sense. Rules govern morally correct Artistic Swimming and any natural sense to perform beautifully or sublimely is immoral. 


One important reason for rejecting a natural sense of moral performance is pragmatism. Kant makes it practical to exercise morally correct AS. Judges can assess behaviour against the rules and issue verdicts on the degree of adherence. Rules also guide reward or punishment.


Two centuries later, the FINA (the World Swimming Body) formalised the rules. Now more than ever the rules are applied rigorously at all levels, especially at the elite competitions. These rules are taught from childhood. 

In 1996 we saw the USA Olympic routine score 10.00 which by Kantian philosophy was morally perfect.


Objections to FINA's moral stance

Later philosophers like Schiller found that this absolute division between rules based and sensuous moral performance too harsh eg the division might tempt a Kantian swimmer/coach/parent of "feeble mind to seek ….. perfection in the somber paths of an ascetic and monastic life". 


In May 2020, in response to questions about differences between then and now, the 1996 US Olympians expressed similar sentiments: 

  • they gave up everything to train and compete eg they lived away from parents, spouses, and in two cases, their young children. 

  • that the rigidity of rules has made the sport lose its focus on true perfection.


It may justify questionable coaching techniques, parental behaviour and high performance swimmers' lifestyles as virtuous.


Rational agency


Nevertheless, Kant saw that with rules to govern a swimmer's moral performance, rational agency was central. Inevitably the immediate challenge would be to control moral conflicts that might occur due to a natural reversion to sensuous desire.


Rational agency would justify coaches' indoctrination of their athletes so that any sensuous inclination to perform immorally/imperfectly could not occur. With the natural sensuous motivation crushed and replaced by rules, Kantian moral perfection becomes possible.


It appears that elite must have their natural inclinations trampled. At the poolside it is wonderful to encourage, praise and assist a young swimmer. The desire for that swimmer to progress through to the highest levels requires the responsible adult to resolve their own personal sensuous inclination with the rules that define moral AS. This discomfort is common amongst the entire AS community - adult or child.


If meeting the coach is fearful, it may reveal that the Kantian morally, virtuous, beautiful and perfect coach is someone who exposes the conflict. Individual failure to resolve the Enlightenment's tussle between a rational vs natural moral life might manifest as cynicism. In contrast, if the adult sees the rules based moral life as another source of perfection, then they are more likely to take a positive attitude.


Two questions for FINA


In the current rational approach to elite AS, two practical questions coexist:


  1. If someone in the AS community has failed to resolve these two sides of Kantian moral philosophy, then are they really educated? 

  2. Can they ever swim with true perfection by expressing a natural sensuousness within rules?



Conclusion


Elite AS' rigid assessment of performance forces the trampling of a swimmer's natural feeling to perform beautifully. The successful transition from amateur to elite in the existing Kantian rules based system necessitates profound personal resolution of what a moral life entails.