The Wykehamist January 2020 Edition 1487 | Page 22

PHILOSOTHON
CARSON WHITE (COLL)
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go for the second year in a row to Stowe with Mr Dunne to compete
in their annual Philosothon. We had won as a school last year and were hoping to do the same again. If you think
that competitive philosophy sounds odd, you’re definitely not wrong. When we arrived, we headed straight into
discussion groups about moral luck, the validity of external memory, concept representation and recognition and
the conflict between the virtues of rationality and democracy. Thankfully, Stowe provided us with an information
booklet that helped guide us through these difficult problems.
The wonderful thing about the Philosothon is that it values moving the conversation forward. Although it
can sometimes seem forced to always ask ‘but what do you think’, it does involve everyone in the conversation
and prevents people going head-to-head in exclusive and unwinnable arguments. Conclusions are difficult to
reach, especially in philosophy, and the process of getting to them is made so much easier without people who
only want to listen to what they are saying.
In a school where we do so much debating - we have at least two debates a week for all year groups and
take part in maybe a dozen competitions a year – and are encouraged to fight for our strong opinions in div and
everywhere else, the Philosothon comes as somewhat of a shock. You’re forced to step back from your opinions
and seriously consider what other people are saying. These are really valuable skills and I’m glad we have such an
engaging opportunity to learn them.
Plus, the people you meet at the competition are fascinating and very clever and if you have a good group
you’re guaranteed to have a brilliant time and to learn a lot. I certainly hope to see people again I met this year at
the next competition. And of course it was wonderful to take home the cup for the second year in a row and with
several times more schools there this year!
Winning Philosothon team, Stowe, 2019
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The wykehamist