DeKALB — Since its inception in the spring semester of 2018, Philosophy Club has helped students take a closer look into matters of philosophical importance, whether in the larger implication of topical events or concerns in their own lives.

The main conceit behind Philosophy Club is acquainting students with academic concepts through centering club discussions around topical issues like the death penalty, animal ethics, abortion and eugenics. Due to the contentious nature of these talking points, Castle said forums can get heated but are useful in bringing in members.

Junior philosophy and political science major Caitlin Sharkey, who serves as vice president of the organization, said helping students articulate their stances is the main goal of Philosophy Club.

“To give people the opportunity to have a good discussion, it’s gotta be kinda saucy,” Sharkey said. “We look at what’s happening in the news or trending on Twitter because if we don’t want to talk about it, we’re not going to have a good discussion.”

Senior philosophy and political science major Sarah Castle, who is also club president, said she was prompted to start the club when she experienced unfulfilling debates in discussion-based philosophy courses.

The first Philosophy Club meeting of the spring semester will be Jan. 23, 2019. The club will then meet every second and fourth week of the month for the rest of the year.

“I think it’s a nice community for philosophy students and students outside of that to discuss ideas in an open space. In classrooms, you can talk about these ideas, but they’re in a very limited academic sense,” Castle said. “In having an outlook for discussion, I think it’s very beneficial to understand these ideas on a different level.”

Castle and Sharkey said it was easy to form the club once they found other interested students, but gaining approval from the Division of Student Affairs took more time than expected.

Their club is the first organization of philosophy students to obtain recognition from the Division, on April 29, 2018. Once an organization gains recognition from Student Affairs, it is better able to advertise itself to students, either through HuskieLink, flyers publishing events and a presence at student involvement fairs.

Sharkey said membership has tripled since the club’s initial numbers last year.

Castle said her main focus going forward is to expand membership to younger students. She said hosting discussions across campus has brought in new faces, including non-philosophy majors.

Castle and Sharkey said they hope to bring in diverse voices through club membership and open forums. They said part of that means encouraging collaboration with other organizations on campus.

“We have a primarily white, male audience, and I think that’s more reflective of philosophy in general, but I want to bring in other clubs,” Sharkey said. “We need more diversity.”

DJ Johnson, senior philosophy major and club member, said club gatherings have been largely advertised through word of mouth. However, throughout the fall semester and as a result of Student Affairs approval, the club has posted flyers advertising events throughout campus.

“Having a smaller to midsized group is nice because then everybody gets to talk, and we can get into something with some depth,” Johnson said.

Sharkey said students unfamiliar with philosophical concepts should not be deterred from joining the club. The first step, Sharkey said, is accepting the unknown. She said newcomers should join for that reason.

“I think a lot of people are scared of [philosophy], but they don’t realize that they do it in their everyday lives,” Sharkey said. “[When you] question any little thing, you’re doing some sort of philosophical exercise. It’s about taking a look, making you think about things you had no idea about.”