Written by Sydney Weber
What is morality? What defines and changes identity? Is there truly one ethical answer to the Trolley Problem? These are all questions brought up and discussed in East Ridge High School’s Philosophy Club.
Philosophy Club is one of over 50 unique clubs at East Ridge High School. Started in 2016 by ERHS AP World History teacher, Jason Kenley, it has weekly meetings that gather anywhere from 15 to 40 students. Promoted by word of mouth and in AP World History classrooms, Philosophy Club gathers diverse members from all grade levels that give it a welcoming atmosphere. Meetings contain individual presentations from students, large and small group discussions, and ultimately a deeper understanding of not just philosophy but also peers.
A club meeting starts with a five- to ten-minute presentation from a student in the club based on some basic knowledge and research to educate the club on terms and ideas needed for discussion. The presentation ends with a couple of big picture questions that have no definite answers or solutions. The club then either breaks off into smaller groups to discuss or has one big Socratic style discussion. “Philosophy Club is like those really good class discussions, every time,” says Kenley.
Philosophy Club has discussed many different philosophical ideas, including morality, identity, ethics, and more. “My favorite discussion we have had was whether concepts or ideas exist outside of our knowing of them. So for example, did calculus exist before Newton discovered calculus. When cavemen were running around, did calculus exist and nobody knew it? Or did Newton invent it and bring it into being,” says Kenley.
The club also discussed identity and how it may change as the physical and spiritual aspects of a person change. ”If you replace a couple of planks on a ship, and keep doing it over and over, eventually the ship might be all new planks. Is it the same ship or not? Does that ship’s identity change or is it the same ship? It’s kind of the same conversation with human beings. We change a lot, so are you the same you as when you were five?” says Kenley.
“I joined Philosophy Club because it sounded like it was going to be very interesting, with the ideas they were discussing and the diverse perspectives of a large group of students. Everyone really has something different to say, and it's a really cool thing to see what other people are thinking and learn about the big history of the ideas of philosophy,” says Sam Tollison, a junior at ERHS and two year member of the club.
While an overwhelmingly common motivation for students to join Philosophy Club is to talk about philosophical ideas, another is its welcoming and diverse personality. “It’s really welcoming, even if it’s your first time there. You always feel like you can make a contribution,” says Tollison.
“It’s pretty informal, you can come in having read philosophy books or YouTube videos or you can come in with nothing. Some people want to listen, some people want to talk, some want to do both, and we just kind of welcome everything,” says Kenley.
“A lot of people assume that young people can’t conceptualize certain ideas, but I've been so impressed with how young people can just have these conversations. Students can just dive into topics that they are interested in, or didn’t even know that they were interested in,” says Kenley.
Philosophy Club is a place not only to dig deep into complex ideas and thoughts, but also to get a deeper understanding of yourself, peers, and human beings. “I really get to see my students' humanity in a deeper way than in class. Seeing my students have this motivation to talk about these big, human ideas is the most fun,” says Kenley.
The club was founded around 2016, when advisor, Mr. Kenley, and a student were discussing philosophy after class. The student proposed they start a club to talk about philosophy, and so it began. The first meetings had around 15 participants, but by the end of their first year they had 30 or 40.
Like any activity at ERHS during COVID, Philosophy Club felt the pandemic’s effects. They were forced to have their meetings over Google Meet, which impacted the flow of discussion. “Because of COVID, conversations seem to be stilted, it’s the nature of Google Meets,” says Kenley. The club struggled with having side conversations about the topics, and conversations were not as smooth as in person meetings.
You can join Philosophy Club by contacting Mr. Kenley, at jkenley@sowascho.org. To learn more about Philosophy Club and East Ridge High School’s many other clubs, visit http://www.ridgereview.info/ and go to the Club and Activity Profiles page.
