The Roanoke College Philosophy Club was started in 2015 at the request of several students who wanted a place to continue philosophical discussions in a more informal setting. The following year the club drafted a constitution and pursued formal recognition by the college. The club received official recognition, which included a budget to fund its activities.
The club is structured traditionally with a president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary. The officers are chosen by vote at the end of each academic year. The faculty advisor is heavily involved in the operation of the club. He attends most club meetings to facilitate conversation and has a topic of conversation planned if the student-led discussion flags. One surprisingly robust discussion centered on Baudelaire’s “Counterfeit Money.” It is a short vignette about a man giving counterfeit money to a beggar and a brief reflection on gift-giving. The discussion ranged from questions of value and economics to the possibility of altruism.
The faculty advisor’s additional duties include advertising meetings and working with the club to recruit new members. The department’s student-led social media team advertises for Philosophy Club, and the faculty advisor produces fliers every week for the department’s faculty to hand out to students.
The club meets every Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The timing allows students involved in other extracurriculars such as sports and choir to join. Club members have attended philosophy conferences, and are actively involved in campus events. For example, the philosophy club teamed up with the Biology Department’s yearly “Darwin Days” to host philosopher John Protevi, who discussed the origins of warfare. The club also hosted tie-dye parties in co-operation with the Campus Activities Board to advertise Philosophy Club.
The primary benefit to philosophy club members is a place to discuss ideas and ask questions that they might not be able to during a regular course. It allows them to meet regularly with students who have a similar kind of curiosity. These same benefits, of course, accrue to visitors. The benefit to the department is that it gives students a way to explore an interest in philosophy without having to take a class. Of course, the hope is that students will be sufficiently interested in the material that they will end up taking a class or becoming a major. The benefits to the institution are the pursuit of the liberal arts outside the classroom. Roanoke College in particular is keen on pursuing questions of purpose across campus and the philosophy club directly supports this mission.
As at many other institutions, Roanoke’s philosophy club was unable to meet during the 2020-2021 academic year. However, during this past academic year, the club returned to its weekly in-person meetings. Though we were masked, attendance was down some, but it was nice to be able to return to some sense of normalcy. Those who came were happy to have a place to discuss ideas and return to work on new events.
All Philosophy Club news goes out on departmental social media.
Brent Adkins
Brent Adkins is a Professor of Philosophy at Roanoke College. His primary interests are 19th and 20th Century European philosophy, Modern Philosophy, and politics. His books include Death and Desire in Hegel, Heidegger and Deleuze, True Freedom: Spinoza's Practical Philosophy, Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus: A Reader's Guide and Critical Introduction, and A Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Adkins co-wrote Rethinking Philosophy & Theology with Deleuze: A New Cartography with Paul Hinlicky.
