In “The Philosophy Behind Sports,” the author explores both the history of sports and their potential connection with a higher or spiritual ideal (as in Zen archery), then discusses the importance – and abuses – of sports in contemporary society.

He concludes: “Let it be said that sports are sacred or religious in origin, noble in nature, but secularized, abused, and misunderstood in the modern world, and that this is a great shame that could easily be rectified by awareness of their true origin and nature.” Also included is an appendix on the ancient symbolism of the game of chess.

In “What Is Culture?,” he similarly deconstructs the idea of culture, one of the most “thoroughly discussed and laboriously examined” concepts of the modern era since the Renaissance. Going far beyond the simplistic definition of culture as “pertaining to the fine arts” or a mere sociological construct, he posits the idea of a culture as an intellectual refinement that individuals as well as societies “cultivate” within and pass on through tradition.

Not content to merely examine the cultures of the past, the author goes on to suggest what a proper understanding of culture can and should mean for our future: “Culture is the very envelope in which we journey through life, and to ignore it is to ignore the way in which this journey is progressing.”

H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad was educated at Harrow School, received his B.A. from Princeton University summa cum laude and his Ph.D. from Trinity College, Cambridge University. He is currently Cultural Secretary to H.M. King Hussein of Jordan.