Club President: Kevin Bethell
Club Advisor: Gerardo Sanchez
The Philosophy Club @ UCR officially began in 2017; before which it was an informal club that was active off-and-on for some time. The club currently meets over zoom, enjoying four, one hour bi-weekly discussions. Our discussion topics span across the entire discipline of philosophy. In the Fall of 2020 quarter we discussed Nietzsche’s critique of guilt, the Faith/Belief distinction in religious beliefs, Temporal Agency, and philosophical counseling careers. These meetings are always led by a philosopher who has researched and wrote upon the relevant topics. Club members typically receive emails before the meetings with optional readings to prepare for the discussion ahead. Most discussions are faculty-lead yet student-controlled. Our participating faculty are there to initiate the discussion and answer questions. They do not control the direction of the discussion or moderate ideas or points of view.
The philosophy club plans to incorporate new meeting formats where small groups are presented with a philosophical question/statement and students discuss questions, concerns, and any relevant interests involved. The club is also planning and organizing yearly undergraduate symposiums.
University clubs often have difficulty maintaining themselves over multiple years. To negate this frustration, the philosophy club @ UCR fosters a tight-knit community of philosophy lovers across multiple academic disciplines, as well as across boundaries of freshmen, sophomore, and seniors. Our club is open to all majors and all philosophers regardless of where you stand on your academic journey.
Being a part of the philosophy club keeps you up-to-date on our meeting topics, times, and dates. The club also keeps our members informed on any opportunities available that would help advance their academic and professional careers in philosophy, such as: undergraduate journal submissions, calls for journal reviewers, and upcoming talks from philosophers around the world.
The Philosophy Club at UCR provides a fun and informal environment open to anyone seeking discussion, the exchange of ideas, or the pursuit of the examined life alongside a community of friends. We help our members cultivate their critical, analytical, and interpretational skills through dialogues, talks, and reading groups, with the hope of shaping well-organized and systematic thinkers and presenters. We hope to contribute to this project of understanding one’s self and the larger world at every Club meeting, both for generally interested students and for those considering graduate school in philosophy. Our members can expect a welcoming environment prizing the respectful exchange of ideas, where nothing is left unchallenged and where everyone walks the path to understanding critically and carefully.
For questions, visit our website:
https://ucrphilosophyclub.wixsite.com/mysite
Or email our club president Kevin:
Kbeth002@ucr.edu
The Undergraduate Philosophy Club Series of the APA Blog is designed to share insights about undergraduate philosophy clubs. We would love for your undergraduate philosophy club to be a part of the project. Please email sabrinamisirhiralall@
Kevin Bethell
Kevin Bethell (he/him/his) is the current president of the philosophy club @ UCR. He is a fourth year Philosophy major with a minor in religious studies. He is a prospective grad school student with interests in ethics, moral responsibility, and philosophy of religion. Kevin is a first-generation transfer student with a passion for philosophy and helping his cohorts to succeed in their academic careers and beyond. For any questions regarding the philosophy club, the UCR philosophy major (from an undergraduate perspective), or any philosophically weighted questions, email Kevin at:Â KBeth002@ucr.edu
