SPO Semifinalists at the Zurich Philosophy Festival

On Saturday, January 24, several young volunteers accompanied some of this year’s semifinalists of the Swiss Philosophy Olympiad to the Zurich Philosophy Festival. The focus was both on philosophical exchange and on getting to know one another in a relaxed and open atmosphere. In addition, two participants from last year’s Philosophy Olympiad were invited once again as special guests. Joshua Freiermuth, who won gold at the 2025 national Olympiad, and Filipa Lüthy, who earned silver in the international Olympiad, took part in the philosophical speed dating event and enriched the occasion with their skill in philosophical dialogue.

The trip was organized by Kora Bürgi, who herself participated in the Philosophy Olympiad in 2023 and 2024 and has been volunteering with the association ever since.

About the authors: Filipa Lüthy won bronze at the Philosophy Olympiad final in 2023 and went on to earn silver at the International Philosophy Olympiad in 2025. Ana Abril won silver at the Philosophy Olympiad final in 2023. Both now study philosophy and mathematics and volunteer for the Philosophy Olympiad. 

We began our day at the Italian restaurant Puci’s at Zurich Bellevue. Over pasta, pizza, and ravioli, the participants got to know one another. The volunteers Filipa Lüthy, Kora Bürgi, Ben Stephenson, and Ana Abril also joined the conversations, nostalgically recounting their own experiences as participants a few years earlier. Hungry as we were, the pizza, pasta, and ravioli quickly disappeared, and we arrived slightly ahead of schedule at the Kulturmühle in Tiefenbrunnen, the festival venue. At Café Kornsilo, we warmed up and, now feeling a little more at ease with one another, engaged in lively philosophical discussions over coffee and tea.

The first event we attended featured two feminist philosophical short films, followed by a discussion. Immediately afterwards, we joined a crash course in logic held in the Backstube, led by Christoph Pfisterer. Due to high demand, not everyone could take part in this course, so some instead spent the time at the bar on the festival grounds.

Afterwards, the group split up according to interest. Some took part in the philosophical speed dating event, while others attended the panel discussion “Jetzt reicht's. Wenn es Zivilen Ungehorsam braucht”.

The latter proved to be a heated debate on civil disobedience (for example, in the context of climate activism), featuring legal philosopher Samira Akbarian, climate activist Cyril Hermann, and Lukas Rühli, Head of Research at the think tank Avenir Suisse. From the front row, a vantage point some of us were fortunate enough to have, critical sideways glances and frustrated sighs among the panelists were hard to miss. Moderator Barbara Bleisch, however, skillfully kept the tensions focused on substance and repeatedly steered the conversation in engaging new directions.

Zürcher Philosophie Festival 2026: Cyrill Hermann, Samira Akbarian, Lukas Rühli, Barbara Bleisch © Maria Brunner

The other half of the participants attended the “Philosophical Speed Dating” event instead. In six rounds of eight minutes each, participants engaged in one-on-one philosophical conversations. As in previous years, two winners of last year’s Philosophy Olympiad were present as special guests.  

For Filipa, this wasn’t her first time at philosophical speed dating; she has been an enthusiastic participant for years.

“I always find it exciting how much variety there is in the topics people bring into conversation. Since there are no set rules, the direction of the discussion depends entirely on the person you’re speaking with. This year, my conversations ranged from moral relativism and veganism to the connections between mathematics and philosophy. What makes this event so refreshing is that you can dive straight into philosophical depth without any small talk. You know that everyone else is there for the same reason, and the short rounds practically force you to get to the heart of the matter.” – Filipa Lüthy 

Joshua Freiermuth also reflects the event.

“I didn’t quite know what to expect when I went to the speed dating, and I was surprised by how many different topics you can explore in such a short time without the conversation becoming superficial. The format highlighted the value of conversations with strangers who bring very different approaches to philosophy. It became clear how philosophy touches (almost) every part of life and how, the deeper a discussion goes, the more it leads back to fundamental philosophical questions. I left with more questions than I had when I arrived.” – Joshua Freiermuth

The evening came to an end, and perhaps we all went home with more questions than we had when we arrived. 

Zürcher Philosophie Festival 2026: Filipa Lüthy © Maria Brunner

Zürcher Philosophie Festival 2026: Joshua Freiermuth © Maria Brunner