Features

The Why Society puts a “Gen Z Twist” on Philosophy 

By Molly MacGregor (mmacgregor@css.edu)

November 22, 2024

   There’s a new club on campus this semester—The Why Society—whose focus is on bringing people together to discuss philosophical questions in an un-stuffy, social environment. The Script sat down with club leaders Senior, Zianne Peters, and Junior, Kylah Watson, to find out more. 

     The pair met last year in Modern Philosophy, a class taught by Dr. Ashley Comstock. They both admitted that they wanted to talk to each other but felt shy. Eventually, they found the courage to sit together and began getting to know one another. “There were literally three Black people in the course,” Watson explained, “and one of them dropped out, so I feel like we clicked up based on that at first.” 

     Seeing their interest in the subject, Comstock proposed that the two start a philosophy club. Or perhaps restart is more apt, considering that CSS had a philosophy club in the past that fizzled out and was in need of dedicated students to revive it. Watson and Peters decided to take on the task. 

     The Why Society has gone through a number of name iterations. They began having informal meetings last spring under the title Philosophy Club but, “SGA didn’t really like us calling ourselves a club if we weren’t approved by them so we were like, okay, we’ll find a way around it,” Watson explained. Peters came up with the idea of calling themselves the Philosophical Society, which they both liked but worried that it might deter people from joining. “We felt like maybe it was making people feel excluded, because it sounds really posh and we felt like maybe people were thinking we were going to be stuck up or that you had to know a ton about philosophy in order to join,” Watson said. With these concerns in mind, they decided to name the group The Why Society. They have since been approved as an official club, but the name is here to stay. 

     So far this semester, the club hosted a beginning of the year bonfire which Watson said went well. “I’d say that was one of the best meetings we’ve had. It was just flowing, maybe because we started in such an informal setting. I feel like everyone got closer after that.” They also had a halloween event where they discussed festive topics like ghosts and death. 

      Peters said that the typical meeting begins with a “get-to-know-you game, just to break the ice a little bit.” They also do a “philosopher highlight” to help introduce people to different philosophical thinkers. The main portion of a Why Society meeting is devoted to open conversation structured around a few different questions. “We try to limit how long the conversation is,” Peters said, “so we can talk about multiple topics.” And, of course, there are snacks. 

      It’s important to the club that it doesn’t feel like a class but rather a much more informal conversation. Explaining this, Peters said, “A lot of people tell me they don’t like philosophy because it’s so boring and they don’t know what’s going on at all, so the topics we try to find are current topics that are happening now… topics people can relate to or that are fun to talk about.” 

     For Peters and Watson, the most important thing is that everyone is welcome at the Why Society, whether you know a lot about philosophy or are just beginning to learn. “My main thing,” Watson said, “would be to tell people that they already ask these questions. It's just going more in depth and hearing other people’s thoughts and hearing how their experiences shape how they feel about certain things.” The Why Society leaders hope that people will be “willing to give it a chance before they write it off.” 

     If you find yourself asking the big questions, consider finding company in your existential ponderings at the Why Society. And, mark your calendars for their upcoming philosophical trivia night on Nov. 21.