Football

The Metaphysical Philosophers

Scottish universities traditionally divide their philosophy faculties into two different departments: Logic and Metaphysics, and Moral Philosophy. At St Andrews University, the two compete at the annual Edgecliffe Cup. Moral Philosophy used to come out top in these matches but, spurred on by provocative banners asking, "What is logic anyway?", Logic and Metaphysics last summer chalked up their first win in five years.

If it all sounds a bit like Monty Python's philosophers' football sketch, then it is. At this year's match, play was stopped several times for intensive discussions about how to interpret the offside rule, concluding with a distinction between "obvious offside" and "unobvious offside".

Philip Ebert, 31, goalscorer and lecturer in neo-Fregeanism, explains: "As a philosopher, that's what you do. You try to make general statements about the world and see how they hold up."

Perhaps moral anguish just doesn't make for good sportsmen, suggests captain Douglas Edwards, 24: "I wasn't that surprised the Moral Philosophers lost, as a few of them played a large part of the game with cigarettes in their hands. There were clearly one or two existentialists on their team."

(From this article.)

I won't be around for this year's match - and how I wish I was! I'll be in London, having a great time with some of my very best friends, though, so I can't complain. I'm especially sad because I actually used to play football. I was never good, but I played for a few years, and I know how to kick and all this stuff. Oh well.