UNO Philosophy Club

Look for our sign!

Thank you for visiting the UNO Philosophy Club's webpage! The UNO Philosophy Club meets weekly during Fall and Spring semesters, Tuesdays, 12:30 p.m., in front of Earl K. Long Library (Lakeside) underneath the closest mammoth oak tree. Look for our sign!

The meetings are organized in a discussion format. Typically, one member (or guest speaker) will give a presentation on a topic of their choice, then the floor will be open for discussion. Besides supplying some structure for our meetings, this format permits maxim participation by those in attendance. It also encourages club members to investigate areas of interest and to defend their analysis and/or claims to others.

Our Meetings

Philosophy is an excellent way to focus on making thinking more clear and effective. This can be much easier -- and more fun -- within the context of Philosophy Club. Everyone in attendance is similarly afflicted with a curiosity about the nature of truth (or is it Truth?). Essentially, we get together to discuss what we think about the human activity of thinking.

Topics

With such a broad starting point, it's no wonder that in the past year the UNO Philosophy Club has had such diverse topics as . . .

• Environmentalism and Labor (Todd Burst)
• Science Fiction and Philosophy (Louis Brantmeyer)
• The Prison-Industrial Complex and its Implications for Education (Ben Gilbert)
• Philosophy & the Dilemma of Downloading: Data Sharing, Intellectual Property, and You (Jeff Bagwell)
• Order: Product of Control or Freedom? (Katie Hanzalik)
• The Philosophy of Child Rearing: To Spank or Not to Spank? (Rue Casey)
• Nietzsche (Corey Worman)
• Animal Ethics and Rights (Claire Privat & Lindsey Childers)
• Language in the 21st Century (Nathan Smith)
• Music: The Convergence of Two Sounds (Patrick Dirks)
• Philosophy and a Purpose: Seeing through the Static (Christian Delery)
• Life as a Satire (Alex Talmadge)

Guest Lecturers!

Additionally, the UNO Philosophy Club has had a number of very stimulating guest lecturers. Some recent talks have been:

• Dr. Sujane Smock,  in "Critical Thinking and The Need for Creativity in True Education Reform" this critically acclaimed artist discussed the need for creativity within the educational system and its relevant connections to critical thought.
• Dr. Clark, a professor from Loyola University here in New Orleans, gave a presentation on the "Nature of Anarchism." Dr. Clark is an avid political and human rights advocate and was instrumental in getting Slavoj Zizek to come to our city.
• Dr. Keith Silverman, an adjunct professor from Tulane University, gave a lecture on Aristotle's De Anima entitled "The Logos of Evolution."
• Dr. Chris W. Surprenant, a former university professor from Tulane University (now UNO Philosophy Department faculty member) gave a talk entitled "The Nature of Morality" briefly orienting us to the historical background of this subject via the works of Aristotle, Aquinas, and Kant.

Exciting Events

One very inspiring event is the yearly Darwin Day lecture series organized by the UNO Philosophy Department's own Dr. Mark Phillips. Some very influential thinkers have graced our very own campus in the past, thanks to his efforts! These include Daniel Dennett (2007), Victor Stenger, author of God: The Failed Hypothesis (2011), and Robert Trivers, evolutionary biologist and author of The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life (2012).

Besides our weekly meetings, the UNO Philosophy Club is very active in a number of other contexts -- cookouts, sailing trips, toga parties -- though interestingly enough, no matter the libations, we always find ourselves discussing our shared passion of Philosophy.

Exciting events are always being planned. Interesting things like a beginning-of-the-semester champagne brunch, Trivia Nights (with the opportunity to win money if we do well), Audubon Zoo and other "field" trips. With a field like Philosophy, the possibilities are limitless!