Valencia’s Philosophy Society, founded in 2023, tabled at last week’s “Welcome Back” club fair with the goal of fostering discussions and a welcoming environment for new and returning members.
Each month, the organization hosts “Socrates’ Café,” an open forum discussion where students share ideas regarding a certain topic.
East Campus Professor of Philosophy and Club Advisor Justin Stone described this month’s “Socrates’ Café” and what students can expect from future public events.
“Yesterday, we had our first Socrates’ Café. We saw over 70 people there. We spent an hour questioning what defines art. Our next (meeting) will be the question of what defines gender,” Professor Stone said.
Although this is the club’s second year and first official semester with designated leadership, the club existed long before its official founding in 2023. Club President and Electrical Engineering major Nicholas Giuffre described the club’s beginnings. “I was in an ethics class with Professor Stone actually, and I wanted to start a club. I talked to Professor Stone and put my signature on a paper along with four other students and here we are,” Giuffre explained.
In the spring, the Philosophy Society will attend the club’s first Ethics Bowl hosted at Rollins College in Winter Park. In this competition, students from colleges across the nation participate. Teams are given a certain set of topics and are graded on their ability to articulate a moral or ethical stance in support of or in opposition to the topic.
Giuffre describes the unique experience found in Valencia’s Philosophy Society as opposed to other colleges. “I think it’s a much more grounded experience. We are a small start-up, but we have a lot of members now. We welcome everyone, we welcome every voice, every opinion no matter what. Everyone has a seat at our table and can voice their opinion or dissent and we do the best we can to create a welcoming space for everybody,” Giuffre said.
Valencia’s Philosophy Society hopes to expand to other campuses and explore new mediums through social media to connect with members and Valencia College students.
In the coming weeks, the club will host “Five-Minute Philosophies” where visitors and members alike have five minutes to present a topic of their choosing. Topics can range anywhere from historical time periods, specific philosophers, or societal questions.
Giuffre and other members encourage students to come to a meeting to learn more regardless of experience in philosophy or public speaking. “We are a space for conversations, not debates. We’re able to talk about anything that students feel is relevant. Any conversation is welcome here as long as it is respectful, open, and honest.” Giuffre said.
The Philosophy Society meets each Tuesday at 1pm on Valencia’s East Campus in Building 2 room 304.
