Smuggling the Unexpected: Philosophy and Football in Paraguay's Upset Victory

An article in ABC Color draws a stark contrast between the spectacle of the FIFA World Cup and a parallel, "unseen World Cup" where capital systematically manufactures desire. This unseen competition, the author suggests, exploits what the poor construct from the "free material of desire."

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Under the masked surface of the FIFA World Cup, another World Cup is played in parallel against the owners of capital systematically invested in manufacturing something that the poor built with the free material of desire.

The piece delves into ancient philosophy, referencing the atomist doctrines of early Greek thinkers and the concept of 'clinamen,' or the swerve, introduced by the Roman poet Lucretius in "De Rerum Natura." This idea posits a minimal, inexplicable deviation in the natural motion of atoms, introducing indeterminacy, freedom, and chance into a mechanistic universe. Lucretius argued that this principle, originating from the "heart," is what allows for change and possibility.

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What impulse is this that breaks the chains of destiny?

This philosophical lens is applied to an unexpected event: the Paraguayan national football team's victory over a seemingly superior German team. The author notes the vast disparities in resources – more money, powerful leagues, better stadiums, and specialized staff – favoring the German side. Paraguay, lacking these advantages, produced a win attributed not to external resources but to an internal force, a "principle of movement created in the heart," echoing Lucretius' ideas about the power originating from within.

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The principle of movement is created in the heart.