Philosophy Club

SCEGGS Team Wins Gold at the Ethics Olympiad

On Tuesday 2 May, five members of the SCEGGS Philosophy Club competed in the Ethics Olympiad. This round, which included teams from 30 schools, was the Senior division of the ACT/NSW region of the international competition. The team took home the gold medal, and are now preparing for the International Ethics Olympiad! They will be thinking away with teams from countries including Canada, Singapore and India.

The format of the Olympiad is similar to debating, but the emphasis is on raising relevant ethical questions, rather than winning the argument. In fact, it is common for teams to agree in general terms but to take different philosophical pathways.

The SCEGGS team members were Leyla Bensan, Zoe Lindner, Sophia Papadakis, Bella Talib, and Chiara Weaver. They discussed eight cases including “Bullfighting: Art or Not?”, “National Service” and “Anger in Politics”. During a discussion of “Lookism and Free Cosmetic Surgery” the SCEGGS philosophers discussed ideas around what would actually solve the issue of lookism permanently, instead of conceding to it via surgery, but also pointed out the inherent human nature to prefer beauty and beautiful things. To extend this argument, they linked the issues of lookism with that of sexism- do we ‘fix’ sexism by making everybody a man? Their opponents looked at the case through the lens of utilitarianism, agreeing that surgery was perhaps too rash of a decision and does not generate the greatest good or happiness, and added to the discussion by bringing up how ever-changing beauty standards are in the modern world.

It was a long day of discussions and thinking, and the girls were thoughtful and well-considered in each round, rounds being adjudicated by PhD students, bioethicists, and deep-thinkers all around the world.

The Middle School Ethics Olympiad (ages 12-15) is up next, so if you think you’re keen, come along to Philosophy Club! If you would like to sharpen your mind against some truly deep thinkers, and to discuss big ideas such as the ideal society, the role of education, and the morality of prisons, it’s the club for you. Our discussions are led by Hamish Lewis, a Philosophy student at the University of Sydney. We meet every Tuesday afternoon from 3.15 pm to 4.45 pm in C4. If you have any questions, send an email to Dr Guss. We hope to see you there!

Leyla Bensan
Philosophy Club