Society Focus: Introducing the Philosophy Society
Philosophy Society Presidents
Jack and Izzy
Hello! We’re Izzy and Jack, the third-year philosophy students who co-run Trinity Hall Philosophy Society. We noticed a gap in the market for students who are interested in philosophy, but aren’t sure where to start, especially when seeking out discourse with students from different subjects. So, last term we founded our society to create a fun and welcoming space for college members to explore philosophy regardless of their relationship to the subject.
Philosophical debate can often be intimidating for those outside of the area, particularly when it becomes overly self-referential and technical, so we are trying to create an environment of collaborative and friendly discussion rather than competitive debate. We take turns giving brief presentations, before opening up to a discussion around the topic, and repeat until the hour is up! We are sure to focus on giving everyone a chance to contribute to the conversation and use thought experiments and voting to get a feel for initial intuitions.
The interdisciplinary nature of our membership has broadened our view of our subject with the contributions of lawyers, historians, mathematicians, engineers and more. Last term this was highlighted by our collaboration with Hesperides Society, who co-ran a session with us on nature and aesthetic appreciation. We enjoyed returning the favour by working with the society at one of their events on the publishing of private letters.
If you want to get involved, we hold meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in the Stephen Hawking Room. While we will have made an effort to do some readings and to present ideas nicely for you to consider, they are informal socials that require no prior reading, although we happily share links for those who are especially interested in a topic. There is further information available on our Instagram, @trinhallphilsoc where our term card is available!
