PHILOSOTHON “A Community of Inquiry”
Hosted by St Edmund's College Ware, Hertfordshire Friday 4th March 11am - 3pm
What is a Philosothon? You are invited to participate in a Regional Heat of the National Philosothon competition at St Edmund’s College! The aim of the Philosothon is to promote philosophical enquiry and rigour by bringing students from Years 9-13 together around stimulus material which allows the group to move beyond discussion towards critical inquiry. In advance of the competition, students will receive a pack of stimulus material to prepare and formulate their ideas. The model for the Philosothon is a “Community of Inquiry”. This enables students to move towards an awareness of underlying concepts that are inherent within the stimulus material. Students reach a critical understanding of different positions and arguments that arise as a result of dialogue around the stimulus. Students are encouraged to ask questions of other students in the group which analyse the issue at stake, which probe deeper and which try to understand and clarify both their own viewpoints and arguments and those expressed within the group. No formal philosophical expertise or grounding is expected of students, and groups should be jargon-free zones; what the judges will be looking for is students’ ability to move the argument on through genuine awareness of different responses and the reasons behind them, as well as critical inquiry into the reasons put forward by group participants. Includes words by Father Mark Smith, Chaplain & Head of Philosophy & Religion at King’s College Taunton.
Who and why? The Philosothon is an excellent opportunity for your most able students developing, or working towards, university admissions, critical thinking, intellectual confidence and curiosity, student leadership, debating and 13+ Examinations. Any student with an intellectual curiosity is an ideal candidate for the Philosothon. Their participation will help them prepare for University admissions interviews and provide a pretty unique experience to reference on their personal statement.
Students should develop:
The disposition to care for good reasoning and intellectual honesty The ability to criticize ideas impersonally and to accept the impersonal criticism of one's own ideas A willingness to listen with an open mind to the ideas of others The capacity to identify and tackle problems An interest in exploring ideas A willingness to take the intellectual risk of offering ideas for evaluation and criticism from one's peers.
Further details: Lunch and refreshments will be provided. A charge of £10 per student will apply to cover operational costs on the day. You will need to select a team of 10 students – 2 students from each year group 9-13. The overall winning school will be invited to participate in the National Philosothon at Stowe School on March 17th. Students are scored by judges across four rounds, with the cumulative score of each used to determine a winner. Each student will receive a certificate, and there will also be individual prizes across each year group.
Would you like to participate? Places are limited! If you would like to participate, please scan the QR code below or email jeves@stedmundscollege.org.