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Dedication
To Theo and Lola
Philosophy Smackdown
Douglas Edwards
polity
Copyright © Douglas Edwards 2020
The right of Douglas Edwards to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2020 by Polity Press
Polity Press
65 Bridge Street
Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK
Polity Press
101 Station Landing
Suite 300
Medford, MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3767-9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Edwards, Douglas, 1958- author. | Polity Press.
Title: Philosophy smackdown / Douglas Edwards.
Description: Medford, Massachusetts : Polity, 2020. | Summary: “Hulk Hogan and Socrates wrestle with the big ideas”-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019038633 (print) | LCCN 2019038634 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509537655 (Hardback) | ISBN 9781509537662 (Paperback) | ISBN 9781509537679 (ePUB)
Subjects: LCSH: Wrestling. | Sports--Philosophy.
Classification: LCC GV1195 .E39 2020 (print) | LCC GV1195 (ebook) | DDC 796.812--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038633 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038634
The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.
Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.
For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com
Preshow
1. Origins
For me, it started with videotapes when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My younger brother Glyn would borrow them from his friend, and we would watch enraptured as these giant characters in colorful costumes grappled and slammed each other in the ring. Mostly World Wrestling Federation (WWF) WrestleManias, we watched Hogan beat Savage, Warrior beat Hogan, and then Warrior return to save Hogan. Growing up in the south of England, we had little idea where this was happening (apart from that it was in America), but we watched as much as we could. Action figures and posters followed – I remember marveling at my friend Justin’s Legion of Doom poster, with Hawk and Animal snarling in their face paint and spiked football shoulder pads.
The moment when I really became gripped, though, was WrestleMania X, and the triumph of Bret “Hitman” Hart. Bret, at the time a classic babyface, or good guy, was a spirited, plucky hero in distinctive pink and black attire, who, despite not being the biggest guy in comparison to behemoths like Hulk and Warrior, relied on his technical expertise and skill to work his way to the top. At the time Bret was feuding with his brother Owen, and the story of their feud resonated with me. A classic story of sibling rivalry, it hit close to home: my brother and I constantly competed and strove to beat each other, no matter what we were doing. Only 18 months apart, we played pretty much any game you could think of, and the story was always the same. Me, trying to prove that, because I was older, I was better, and him trying to show that that was nonsense. Bret and Owen’s feud, pitched as it was with Bret the babyface and Owen the heel (bad guy) spoke to my 11-year-old self as a mirror of my experience: Bret even had brown hair, and Owen blonde hair, just like me and my brother!
After a shock loss to Owen in the opening match of WrestleMania X (which is also regarded as one of the best matches of all time), Bret overcame the odds to defeat the huge Yokozuna in the main event to become the WWF Champion. All the other good guys came out from the back to celebrate, lifting him up on their shoulders, as Owen
