Philosophers' football

The election may be over, but this Sunday (9th May), another epic contest kicks off: the Philosopher’s Football Match, a real-life recreation of the 1972 Monty Python sketch pitting German philosophers against Greeks. The Python version was notable for its inaction—both sides philosophised without much football being played. This time is different, as Nietzsche Albion (managed by Prospect contributor AC Grayling) take on Socrates Wanderers (led by former England manager Graham Taylor). The Python match saw tempers boil over, with referee Confucius forced to give Friedrich Nietzsche a yellow card. Rough tackles will be kept in check this time, however, by referee (and Prospect’s in-house philosopher) Nigel Warburton; a suitably liberal figure to keep order between the Greek and German traditions. The match’s weakness could be its length: a full 90 minutes may prove taxing for those of philosophical rather than athletic pedigree. As Warburton told us: “‘Like most notions dreamed up by philosophers, the match looks terrific in theory. But whether a ragbag of ageing thinkers can really produce a decent match remains to be seen.”

This item first appeared in the May issue of Prospect. Nigel Warburton will be following up with a post-match report on this blog next week.