A team of nine talented Christ’s Hospital philosophy pupils were victorious for the second year in succession at the South East Regional round of the Ethics Cup (formerly the John Stuart Mill Cup), at King’s College London, on 24 February.
As a result, the team progress to the national finals which will take place at the end of May, at St Andrews.
This year, Christ’s Hospital was one of 12 schools to meet in person at Bush House and grapple with important ethical problems such as the right to bear arms and the morality of a ban on short-haul domestic flights. The Ethics Cup is not a debating competition – opposing teams are encouraged to work together to get to the truth of the matter, rather than dogmatically defend a single point of view. The Christ’s Hospital team were praised by the judges and other schools for their team spirit, clarity of presentation, probing questions, and incisive argumentation.
The Christ’s Hospital team, including seven year 13 pupils and two year 12 pupils, went up against Caterham School, Ark Globe Academy, Worth School and last year’s national champions, Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School. They came away with the overall victory in an incredibly high-scoring final, winning 3-0 in judges votes with an overall score of 172/180 points. Head Teacher of Christ’s Hospital Simon Reid said ‘We are very proud of our pupils for doing so well on the basis of their team spirit and ability to hold a civil discourse. What a fantastic event for young people to be part of!’
The pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to the finals in Scotland where they will compete against the best teams from around the UK.
