Last Tuesday a group of budding philosophers ventured off to King’s College Taunton for the 7th annual Inter-school Philosothon; an innovative competition in which groups enter into a community of enquiry, in order to discuss questions arising from the stimulus material, in the hope that together, they might come to philosophically sound conclusions through the process of Socratic Dialogue.
The first 2 rounds were conducted in year groups, where the discussions focused on moral responsibility and the interaction between mental and physical processes. After a very nice supper of sausages, chips, and beans, we reconvened for the final 2 rounds, this time in mixed year groups. We spoke on issues of representation and meaning, and paradoxes surrounding majority voting in democracy systems. An award ceremony followed, and we were delighted to be placed 3rd overall. With such a high calibre of students, this was a great achievement.
Everyone involved should feel very proud of themselves; it was a very challenging event that pushed reasoning and communication skills to the max. Special note should be given to Jess Fisher in L6 who achieved the highest score of the group, gaining 85 points out of a total of 100. Giulia Binibaldi in year 13 came a close second, with 84 points, and Max Mitchell, in year 9 also did exceptionally well, picking
up 75 points.
On behalf of all who competed, I’d like to thank Mrs Wreford, Mrs Marsden and Mr Dougan for not only enabling us to go, but also judging and facilitating in the event itself.
Ben
Lower Sixth
