Q&A: Philosophers’ Soccer
Philosophers’ Soccer
Question
I thought it would be a shame not to send you this video:
And so as not to open a thread for nothing, I’ll ask you: do you think this phenomenon exists, and if so, how can it be overcome?
Answer
The video is very amusing, but I didn’t understand the question. What phenomenon are you referring to?
Discussion on Answer
I mean that sometimes people philosophize instead of thinking with straightforward common sense, like the philosophers who philosophized instead of simply starting to play. How do you avoid that phenomenon? When is philosophizing worthwhile depth, and when is it abandoning common sense?
It’s hard to give a criterion. I think that as an initial policy it’s better to act according to how one understands things (Kahneman’s System A), while at the same time examining it philosophically (System B).
Good philosophy usually doesn’t go against initial intuitions and common sense, but rather analyzes them, draws conclusions from them, and at most corrects details.
When the step is irreversible and very significant, or alternatively when the concern about error is significant (and intuition can usually also give an a priori indication of the likelihood of error), then it’s worth analyzing before acting. But usually I’d recommend relying on common sense (and trying very hard to make sure it really is common sense). Therefore, when there’s a ball in front of you, just kick it instead of philosophizing. Afterwards you can think about whether something better could have been done and draw conclusions for next time.
Am I the only one who noticed that the replay of the goal isn’t actually the same goal? (Pay attention to the goalkeeper’s position.)
Well… philosophy.
Could you give a short explanation for someone who doesn’t understand English?
You don’t need to understand English. The situation speaks for itself. The philosophers on both sides, Greeks against Germans (with the names of well-known philosophers), are standing there for a match and philosophizing about what to do, and no one thinks to kick the ball and start playing. Until one of them shouts “Eureka” (“I found it,” Archimedes’ cry when he discovered his principle) and starts playing—which any idiot in kindergarten would have understood even without philosophy. Everything else is decoration.
I just got a question from a friend I sent the video to:
Excellent.
Why, in your opinion, did they add the bit about scoring the goal in Greece’s favor?
And this is what I answered:
In my opinion, there are two answers:
1. Only because the author of the phrase “Eureka” was Greek. He had a brilliant idea that a light object floats on water. The striker also had a brilliant idea: if there’s a ball and the goal is to score, let’s use the ball for that purpose. That’s the genius of a philosopher who invents the wheel after it has already been invented (as opposed to a scientist, who actually invented the wheel).
2. The Germans really didn’t think of that. One should remember that among the Greeks, philosophers were also men of science; back then there still wasn’t a disciplinary distinction. So unlike the Germans, who remain in the world of reflections, they also implement something in practice.
As is well known, the philosopher’s dream is that in the middle of the movie they’ll turn on the lights in the theater and shout in panic: Is there a philosopher in the audience?