Ball State’s philosophy club doesn’t dabble in the meaning of life — it examines the issues within it.
Its meetings are weekly discussions led by a different member of the club, said Cameron McNeely, club president and a junior philosophy major.
The discussion’s topic is determined by the student, who comes with a slideshow and questions. The topics can be abstract or concrete and have included the concept of identity, the mind/body problem and animal equality and ethics, McNeely said.
“[The discussion format] is the most engaging way to talk about all this cool stuff. If we had a student up there presenting a PowerPoint for an hour, it would just feel like another lecture, and no one would want to come,” McNeely said. “The best part about the club is having all these different backgrounds and experiences coming together to discuss topics which are oftentimes important and every time interesting.”
There are usually 15 to 25 students in attendance, and most of them are not philosophy majors, McNeely said. There are some students the club considers “regulars,” but new students come as well. Some come because a friend brings them or they heard about that week’s topic. Some may simply go for the snacks.
McNeely stressed the club is not just for philosophy majors.
“We want to have a multi-directional discussion,” he said. “All majors are welcome.”
Quintin Thompson, a junior philosophy and political science major, presented the topic at the Nov. 9 meeting. He chose to discuss feminism because it’s an “interesting way to think about the world.”
He wanted to understand feminism better himself while potentially helping those who were “familiar, but not quite knowledgeable” on the subject.
His presentation evoked discussion about whether people say they aren’t feminists because of the the negative connotation sometimes associated with the term and about how society causes people to believe in gender stereotypes.
Sarah Vitale, one of the faculty advisers for the club, said she thought the discussion went “very well” throughout the night. She said she was happy that the students approached the topic “sensitively and thoughtfully.”
Faculty advisers Rachel Fredericks and Vitale participate in the weekly discussions. They ask new questions based on where the discussion seems to be going or when a new point has been brought up.
There are ground rules for discussion: No vitriol allowed. Participants are welcome to speak freely, but if anything mean or harmful is said, they will be asked to leave.
The club meets each week from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday in the basement of North Quad.
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