The Philosophy Club at Stetson University is a monthly meeting of the minds involving faculty, philosophy majors and minors, and students interested in pursuing advanced studies in philosophy. A student convener sets the agenda and distributes texts for discussion. There are usually six meetings a year — three per semester — with a new president elected annually by the philosophy faculty; the president offers guidance to conveners in their selection of discussion topics.
The Faculty Advisor hands off the responsibility to the President of the Club the task of the organizing the meetings. Meetings allow students and professors to continue their philosophical dialogue outside of class in a congenial atmosphere. The Stetson University Philosophy Club is officially recognized by the Student Government Association.
When I arrived at Stetson in 2000, we did not have a Philosophy Club. I suggested that we form one and my colleague and Chair at the time, Rob Brady, agreed. We discussed meeting places and finally decided to meet at my home on the first Thursday of each month at 4PM. We also decided to begin each meeting with a discussion of a topic for the next meeting. We then appoint a volunteer convener whose responsibility would be to set the agenda, distribute texts, etc. for the next meeting. Paul Vogel agreed to be our first convener and we discussed Neil Poston’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death.
The club continues to this day, with guest speakers leading club members through a variety of topics. In the Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 terms, guest speakers covered a broad range of topics, from personal identity to philosophy as preparation for a career as a therapist.
In Spring 2021, Scott Kimbrough (Jacksonville University) discussed personal identity as an excuse, Josh Rayman (University of South Florida) discussed connections between Nietzsche and Heraclitus, and Brook Sadler (University of South Florida) discussed the concept of honesty in connection with social practice and morality.
In Fall 2021, Mary Bernard, a master’s student interning in clinical mental health counseling discussed how the concept of an examined life serves as a valuable tool for helping others find meaning. Pers Rawlings (Florida State University) led philosophy club students through a discussion of why consequentialists can’t be friends, and Åsa Burman (Stockholm University) discussed social power in contemporary social ontology.
If you are interested in learning more about Stetson’s Philosophy Club, please contact the Philosophy Department Administrative Assistant, or Dr. Ronald Hall. Both are happy to put you on the mailing list for upcoming Philosophy Club meetings and announcements.
Ron Hall
Ronald L. Hall, professor, (PhD, Chapel Hill) is the author of two books, Word and Spirit (Indiana, 1993) and The Human Embrace (Penn State, 1999). His general areas of interest are existentialism and the philosophy of religion. His special areas of interest include Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard.
