Editing Head to Head with The Philosopher (section)

==Round 1: Toecutters Vs Avalanches==

As the clouds parted and the crowd gathered toecutters focussed on their prematch gameplan – how do we see and hear and smell the world around us – how do we ‘know’ the buce? 

Most players uncritically suppose that physical objects around us are more or less as we perceive them to be, but there are problems with this commonsensical notion and have led many  to question whether or not we observe the outside world directly.  In their world we only have direct access to inner ‘ideas’, ‘impressions’ or in modern terms ‘sense data’.  In 16 hundred and something John Locke suggested that human understanding was like a closet wholly shut from the light with only some little openings left, to let in external visible resemblances, or ideas of things without.    
The problem with Locke of course is that we may suppose that ideas that enter the closet are more or less faithful representations of things outside it, but in the end it is a matter of inference that these inner representations correspond closely to external objects (the buce) or in fact to anything at all.  Our ideas, to which we have direct access to, form an impenetrable veil of perception between us and the outside world. 

This then was the problem the toecutters faced when at quarter time we were surprised to not only be behind on the scoreboard but to find that we were not knowing the buce at all well.  It was if our closet was closed to the buce and the opposition had what appeared to be an impenetrable veil themselves.  We needed to rethink and quick. 

In an inspiring speech by captain Keith (knuckles) Rogers, he made it clear that it is only by re-establishing a direct link between observer and external object that the veil can be torn.  Toecutters knew that it was the unreliability of our perceptions that was standing between us and victory.  We knew that we needed to accept that the external world existed separate to us – the buce existed when we were not playing.  We realised that we needed to begin playing on Descantes ‘cartesian theatre’ where the mind is a stage on which ideas and perceptions are viewed by an inner observer – the immaterial soul.   
We knew that the height, strength, skills and general unattractiveness of our opponents was not only a product of certain physical attributes of our opponents but also of environmental conditions prevailing at the time – their skill was relative rather than absolute!  Thus these properties of our opponents do not belong to our opponents as such and were beyond our opponents control – Knuckles had handed the toecutters the key to unlock the cupboard, tear down the veil and to begin to truly know the buce.   
Having cloaked our hitherto nakedness in the knowledge of the buce we were truly ready to begin.  All that was now required was to put our opponents to the sword.  In what can only be described as a heartless act of cruelty, the second quarter horn was blown and in a move that stunned the sizable crowd, Avalanche claimed victory under the pretence that the match was being played over two halves rather than four quarters.  When the dust had settled the opponents had survived to run out fortunate winners six to nil. 

Swallowing our obvious shock and disappointment and leaving much wiser than when we entered, the toecutters accepted the cold hand of fate and started to prepare for next week’s game – bring it on, bring it on..