During the 2024-2025 school year a new club, Philosophy Club, has begun at BHS bringing students together to discuss life, morals and ethics. The club was formed after Mr. Cawley, a history teacher with a background in the subject, introduced students to philosophy with casual trivia and discussions during class. The club, which meets weekly on Wednesdays, discusses a variety of philosophical ideas with critical thinking questions.
“We think about questions like: What is life? What is everything around us? We discuss these ideas along with discussing different ideas and philosophers,” stated Co-President Leila Mannetta.
Mr. Cawley also has goals for the club and wishes the club doesn’t just bring student involvement in philosophy studies, but to use it to better understand the world and improve the way we think, argue, and reason about everything in our lives.
“The biggest thing I hope for is if everyone in the world learned more about philosophy and logic and stuff like that, people could prove their arguments logically using like a rigorous method, and we could all come to agree on something at some point,” explained Mr. Cawley as he spoke about the club’s goals and focus so far.
Mr. Cawley has been a long term social studies teacher under Mr. Howe, and has created great bonds with the students during his time.
“I started this club with my friends because of Mr. Cawley’s enthusiasm about philosophy, and we wanted to learn more about it,” summarized founder and Co-President of the club, Julia Callahan.
The positive responses brought a student proposal of a formal club, though Mr. Cawley admits that the club is still informal, he sees it as a way for students to explore philosophical thinking outside of a traditional academic setting.
“The goal is to create a space where students can think critically, question everything, and discuss big ideas like what’s the nature of reality or ethics,” said Mr. Cawley.
He hopes that in the future, the club could grow into something more organized, possibly even publishing a student-run philosophy journal where students can showcase their argumentative essays and philosophical work.
The group has been steadily growing, with about 10 regular members, and is driven by word-of-mouth. As the club continues to evolve, there are hopes to build on its foundation and engage more students in philosophical discussions.
