On the 7th February 2022, the annual philosothon heats took place at Latymer Upper School. 2 students from each year group (9-13) were nominated by the 8 competing schools to participate in philosophical discussion. By no means is this event meant to be mistaken for a debate; rather its purpose is to promote a collective effort towards critical enquiry and awareness of underlying concepts through constructive discourse. Students receive marks based on their ability to ‘develop a substantive dialogue through engaging with peers’, rather than on the extent of their philosophical knowledge or their argumentative skills. The ‘Philosothon’ is a relatively new style of event that originated in Australia, later moving to the UK in 2016 where King’s College Taunton was the first school to host such an event. Now heats take place all over Britain, submitting winning teams to a national competition between the very best philosophy students in the country. These inquiries are judged by a panel of experts, such as Dr. Marius Felderhof: retired  professor of theology and philosophy at the University of St. Andrews, and the University of Birmingham.

 

The evening began with an introduction and briefing by Miss Fletcher (Head of Philosophy at Latymer). Following promptly on, students from each year group gathered into their communities of inquiry to discuss two of the stimuli provided to them prior to the event. 

The former encouraged discussion upon ideas of gullibility and trust, through a short extract of the familiar Jack and the Beanstalk. Key questions posed to the students included: Can Knowledge depend on luck? If not, what can it depend on? Should you trust street directions given by a stranger? Do fairy tales encourage children to be gullible? 

 

After a short break, students tackled a second inquiry upon conservation of personal identity through an extract from a novel, in which the idea of a teletransporter that records the exact states of our cells and recreates them in another location poses a key question: What makes you the same person as you were yesterday? Students are seldom required to formulate answers to questions of such gravity - that is, after all, contrary to the nature of philosophical discussion. Rather students are expected to leave these discussions with more questions than they had when entering, and above all, a thoughtful appreciation for the complexity of such fundamental questions that underlie our everyday lives. After the closing comments are made, a short break for supper precedes the final two communities of inquiry in mixed year groups. 

 

The first of these is perhaps a continuation from the last inquiry into personal identity, this time looking at what factors constitute personhood. Another novel extract presents students with the ‘Agnate’: an artificial human (clone) that ceases to receive consciousness, and thus is readily harvested for organs in this dystopian future. This issue is particularly relevant pragmatically in the near future, considering its implications for medical ethics in a world where technology has become sophisticated enough to present new and perplexing issues of personhood and rights.

 

The final discussion revolved around contemporary debate upon meaning in life. Students critically assessed a passage from Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism to gain a greater insight into his distinction between essence and existence.

 

After an exciting evening of philosophical discussion, students returned for a final briefing and the awards ceremony. In first place came South Hampstead High School, second came St. Paul’s Girls, and third came City of London Girls.