UCO to Host Philosophy Day for Local Universites

A Philosophy Day event will be held Mar. 7 in the University of Central Oklahoma’s Liberal Arts Building, where attendees can listen to philosophical discussions, play philosophical games, and connect with other people in the field.

Students from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Rose State College, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and UCO will participate in this event, said Dr. Vanessa Bentley, a UCO Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Philosophy. 

The event will be funded by the UCO College of Liberal Arts, the UCO Philosophy Club, and OU, said Bentley. 

The UCO Philosophy Club will also be co-sponsoring the event, said club president Makenna Penrod. “The Philosophy Club will be aiding in any organizational needs during the preparation process.”

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with panel discussions and alumni presentations happening throughout the day, said Bentley

“There will be a wide range [of topics] for participants to enjoy,” said Penrod.

Penrod continued, “Epistemology, ethics, theology, metaphysics, and phenomenology will be among the many subjects discussed. Topics can branch into a wide variety of fields, and are friendly for participants with minimal or no background in philosophy.”

Student alumni panels will be held discussing how the panelists continue to use philosophy in non-academic careers, said Bentley.

Bentley explained, “We have alumni who are in middle school and high school education, we have alumni who work for Paycom, we have alumni who work in government, it’s really a major you can do anything with. I think there’s a little bit of a conversation to help students focus on the language that they need to translate critical thinking and perspective taking into terminology that translates to various disciplines, on a business or a non-academic resume.” 

There will also be a panel for students who are interested in graduate school or law school. Students will be able to talk to the graduate directors from the attending schools to find out about the process of applying to graduate school, Bentley said. 

Dr. Mark Silcox, a UCO professor in the Department of Humanities and Philosophy, who is also the adviser of the school’s chess and games club, will help put on a philosophical game room, said Bentley.

“We’ll have logic games, a game based on the trolley problem, and other games with philosophical components to them available to play at the event.” 

This event will help provide students with the ability to connect with other philosophy-minded individuals and pursue their intellectual passions, said Bentley. 

This will be the fourth year that a Philosophy Day has been held. Each year, the school has been able to polish up the event and improve the experience for its participants, said Penrod. 

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for those who attend, Bentley said.