I read an article recently (possible paywall) about the small town of New York Mills, Minnesota, whose New York Mills Regional Cultural Center hosts what they call the “Great American Think-Off.” The competition poses a philosophical question each year, open to any non-professional philosopher who cares to submit an answer, and awards a free trip to New York Mills and $500 to its finalists. This year’s question was “Is it more important to win or to play by the rules?”
If The Princess Bride Is Any Example…
My initial reaction to this question is that it kind of depends upon the competition. If life or limb is at stake, I believe it is more important to win. I’m reminded of the third battle Westley undertakes in The Princess Bride against Vizzini. Vizzini is self-described as being extremely intelligent.
Westley: “You’re that smart?”
Vizzini: “Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates?”
Westley: “Yes.”
Vizzini: “Morons.”
They proceed to engage in a battle of wits. To the death. At the risk spoiling part of a 1987 movie, Westley is to dose one of the pair of chalices with a deadly poison and Vizzini then chooses which they are both to drink. Unbeknownst to Vizzini, Westley had spent years building up a tolerance to the poison, and doses both drinks instead of just one. Vizzini chooses and they both drink. Vizzini dies, Westley lives and rescues Princess Buttercup.
I suppose this is cheating? But, it illustrates my point that if life or limb is at stake—there’s no reason not to use every advantage you can, including cheating. You’ll have your whole life to regret it…
Since most of our lives don’t revolve around games played to the death, nor do we all live in a Saw movie (or one of its 752 sequels), I think it’s more important to focus on the crux of this philosophical question.
Live With Integrity
If recognition of besting your competition and testing your own skill is the purpose of the game, then playing by the rules is more important than winning. Breaking them to win results in a hollow victory. Hollow victories are worse than losing, at least to me, based on how I feel as a result. No matter if no one else in the world will know that I cheated, I will. I have to be able to live with myself and see someone with integrity when I look in the mirror. Any time you make the mistake of cheating, you erode a part of yourself. Integrity is of paramount importance because it has to do with being honest with yourself.
Further, rules matter. At the heart of competition is the idea that one can do everything within their power, within those rules, to win. In sport, gaining an edge over one’s opponents involves out-training, outsmarting, out-technology-ing, or out-maneuvering them. Even in warfare, there are (supposed to be) rules as set out in the Geneva Conventions. Without rules, we’re not really a society. What are rules, if not a set of agreed-upon common guidelines for us all to follow?
This emphatic endorsement of rule following is not also an endorsement of doing so blindly. In society, if rules don’t make sense then we should all be questioning them. We should also work within the bounds of the rules to correct them. Do the right thing but be civil to the extent possible.
Though I’m certainly not submitting this to the New York Mills Think-Off, I think my response would be something in this vein. After all, my writing in this forum is important to me in the event it becomes important for my son to remember me by.* And what else is a response to this good for if not to impart some scruples on my little lad?
*Hopefully I don’t die like Vizzini by consuming a chalice laced with deadly, yet fictional, iocane powder.
Might be one of the greatest movie clips of all time!