Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do on a daily basis or how certain concepts come to fruition? Well, there is a club right here at COS to quell or grow your pursuit of knowledge.
The Philosophy Club on campus looks for understanding through complex questions and deep discussion. Club President Nolan Martinez has helped re-establish the club during the pandemic and has been the head for two years. Martinez is a former philosophy major here at COS and wants to continue his passion for the subject through this club.
“I wanted to re-establish a philosophy club so I could open up a forum where people could express themselves or ask questions freely without feeling intimidated and explore. I think philosophy is a genuine tool to do that; it is like an art. We are showing up to an expression class, but instead of a physical medium, we just talk to each other,” said Martinez.
To many, philosophy seems like an intimidating subject, but at the Philosophy Club, Martinez strives to create a safe environment for people to genuinely learn and find
answers to their own questions. Martinez refers to Socrates and his famous quote, “I only know that I know nothing,” as the backbone behind the club and its own philosophy.
“I want people to just ask questions. As college students, we have this idea that we are supposed to be smart or the next step for our families, and we go to school with expectations. We tend to lose grasp of what smartness and education are. The Philosophy Club is like a reality check to see that we can always be improving and learning.” Martinez said.
Martinez runs his club behind the idea “by students for students,” a club mainly run by members where anyone can help with creating discussion ideas and meeting themes. He describes philosophy as an “intrinsic good” and something people should explore for themselves.
“People should aspire to pursue growth within themselves. It is student-driven; it is by the students for the students; it is a group of students who don’t even major in philosophy who come together to talk and discuss. We just want to be open and a bit more real about our situations. We want to analyze how to improve our situations, and I think other students are looking for that too,” Martinez said.
Martinez looks forward to growing and expanding the club. He hopes that once he leaves, other students who genuinely care about philosophy will be willing to continue the club and open discussions for students on campus.
“I want it to grow and become something bigger than it is now. I want the Philosophy Club to be a club at Club Rush with a logo and have activities for people to do instead of just people standing there,” Martinez said.
If you are interested in the philosophy club, you could stop by their meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month in Kern 734 from 1 to 2 p.m. The club is also looking for new officers to replace transferring students. They also have an Instagram account that you can follow, @cosphilosophyclub, to stay up to date with activities and reminders.
