Patience runs thin as many anxious students stretch their hands high in the air, eagerly awaiting their turn to comment on Plato's "Parable of the Cave." This is the Philosophy Club, originally founded as the Objectivism Club, bringing philosophical discussion and higher level thinking to Blair since 1995.

At every meeting, club members take turns discussing readings, which are chosen by volunteering members, after 10 minutes of silent study and contemplation. According to club sponsor Robert Donaldson, the readings are usually original works by famous philosophers such as Ayn Rand or Socrates, but members sometimes choose to bring more obscure works as well.

Discussion topics vary greatly with every reading, but often come back to universal subjects such as God, religion, free will and determinism. "They can become really heated debates, depending on who's there and what subject," says club leader Tina Zhang.

In the future, the Philosophy Club hopes to expand its horizons by meeting with the Christian Club . "We have too many magnets and libertarians … This will be an opportunity for something different," says Zhang.

With over twenty members at most meetings, according to Donaldson, the Philosophy Club is very open to new members and opinions. The club has no prerequisites and students are welcome to join in mid-year and come freely. "[Philosophy Club] is very different from Debate Team and Mock Trial since it's not formatted, but it's really fun and you can learn a lot from it," says Zhang.

If interested in joining Philosophy Club, please contact Robert Donaldson and senior Tina Zhang.

Club beat by David Zheng