Juliana Riverin
Staff Writer
High school students aren’t generally known for their insight on philosophy, but one Mira Costa teacher is trying to change that. Last year, after finishing her degree in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University, English teacher Stacey Cabrera founded the Young Philosophers club in an effort to spread her passion for philosophy throughout the student body.
The Young Philosophers Club is made up of a group of students, along with Cabrera that come together to discuss philosophy. Lectures, question and answer sessions and debating the themes and big picture of modern society are all activities members take part in.
“I always try to integrate some of the ‘big-idea’ thinking and general reflection into my classroom environment as well. In doing this in class last year, many of my students seemed to take a general interest in my studies in Philosophy, and so we started doing some lunch sessions on various thinkers,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera, the founder and acting administrator for the club, had the original idea years ago. However Young Philosophers Club only formed last year, and is an official Costa club as of this year, only.
“We met a few times last year to discuss logistics, to look at some thinkers, and with such a great May Day turnout for my philosophy seminar, we decided it was worth pursuing as an official organization,” Cabrera said.
Club discussions revolve mostly around Existential tradition, a branch of philosophy of the opinion that people shape their own destinies through their choices and actions, which is covered in English classes. Thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Camus and Sartre and their ideas are also common topics.
“This semester, for the sake of getting people interested, the executive board and I decided we wanted the lecture series to revolve around thinkers people on campus might be familiar with,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera wishes to eventually host guest speakers from LMU and other local philosophy scholars, as well as building up attendance and publicity. She is currently in atalks with the executive board about a lecture circuit for the club.
“The goal this year is to get the club up and moving, forge some partnerships within our area, and hopefully set the groundwork for ‘bigger’ projects involving those partnerships.”
However, once the club is furtherly established, Cabrera has plans to . These include inter-school conferences, with guest speakers and presentations made by students.
“Ultimately, my ‘master plan’ is to turn our club into a state (or) national organization to help spread Philosophical thinking to the secondary level ” Cabrera said. “My hope is that we can work together with other schools (both high school and colleges), form some partnerships, maybe eventually generate some scholarships, and some day hold conferences and annual events in the philosophical tradition.”
The Young Philosophers Club meets on Mondays in room 33, though special events such as guest speaker appearances may occur on other days. Any students may join, seeing as there are no prerequisites.
“Since it’s not something offered as an academic pursuit at the high school level in most schools, many people have no idea what (philosophy) is about, or if it is something for them,” Cabrera said. “But I encourage everyone to stop on by and have an open mind.”
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