近几年来,运动员的游泳、跳高、跳远、投掷的成绩都比过去的有所提高。由于运动纪录不断被刷新,这就提出了一个问题:人类的运动成绩有极限吗? 运动成绩常常是人们普遍感兴趣的一个课题。亚里斯多德、艾匹克蒂塔、斯宾诺莎等思想家把体力上的勇武称为“基本道德”。身体能力的比赛是大多数的社会的一个组成部分。比赛的优胜者被人们当作偶象崇拜,艺术家们为优胜者塑象,并且通常被授予重赏。通观历史,人们都竭力把一切预言抛在后面。他们跑得比他们所想象的还要快,跳得还要高,投得还要远。他们已经能潜至现在所知的离洋底仅七公里的断层深处,攀上世界的最高峰,敢于穿过二十四万公里的外层空间黑暗深处停在月球上。甚至在所有这些以前,有些人也经受了穿越冰天雪地的北极的漫长旅行,足迹通过了危险而酷热的热带丛林。男女运动员在他们为获得优秀的运动成绩的探系中所遇到的每一次挑战,充其量只能是一个暂时的结论。运动成绩的理论上的界限已经不断地有所阐述,但是却很难找出最后一致的看法。 In recent years, athletes’ swimming, high jump, long jump, throwing achievements have improved over the past. As sports records continue to be refreshed, this raises the question: Is there any limit to human performance? Performance is often a topic of general interest. Aristotle, Epichetta, Spinoza and other thinkers called physical bravery “basic morality.” Physical ability games are an integral part of most societies. Winners of the competition are worshiped as idols, artists are cast as winners, and often awarded rewards. Looking at history, people are trying hard to put all the prophecy behind. They run faster than they think, jump higher, and cast far enough. They have been able to dive to the depths of the fault now known only seven kilometers from the ocean floor and climb the highest point in the world. They dare to cross the 240,000-kilometer outer space and rest on the moon in the darkness. Even before all these things, some people have endured long trips through the freezing Arctic and have traveled through dangerous and hot tropical jungles. At any given moment, the challenge each male and female athlete encounter in their search for excellent athletic performance can only be a tentative one at best. The theoretical boundaries of athletic performance have been constantly elaborated, but it is difficult to find the final consensus.