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"Forum" Encourages Students to Ponder Ageless Questions Just for Fun
(l-r) Lincoln Rantham '07 and Trevor Chamberlin '09 in a recent Forum meeting. (Caitlin Ranson photo)
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3/1/2006
Contact: Bill Giduz 704/894-2244 or bigiduz@davidson.edu
by Luci Hague ' 08
Political philosophy? Dry and dull? Never!
For one group of Davidson students, classes alone don't satisfy the desire to learn more about political theory. Angela Soper ' 08 recognized a broad interest in political philosophy on campus and founded the reading and discussion group “Davidson Forum” in March 2005. The Forum now meets semi-weekly to discuss seminal works of political philosophy, from Plato's Republic to Lon Fuller's Case of the Spelunkean Explorers.
Soper's experience studying abroad at Oxford University in England inspired her to found the Forum. A 2004-2005 Honors Fellow at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Soper noted, “My Fellows year began with a week-long conference at Oriel College, Oxford, where there were frequent opportunities to discuss important political, philosophical, and ethical questions with bright and articulate people. When I returned to Davidson I wanted to create a context here for that dialogue.”
Soper continued, “I've been impressed by how many Davidson students care about the big questions, too, and are able to discuss them intelligently. While we may not always agree on conclusions, we seem to be able to listen well and consider alternative points of view.”
Davidson Forum holds meetings every other Monday in the Alvarez College Union at 9 p.m. A discussion leader picks a text, and sends it out by email to group members. Strong attendance indicates that students enjoy the reading selections. Joshua Choi ' 08 said, “Davidson Forum is essential for the maintenance of Davidson students' academic health. It helps you relate, explore, and communicate diverse political ideas that great thinkers and philosophers throughout the centuries have confirmed.”
Although the Forum is not affiliated with any political party, members frequently have strong ideas about contemporary political issues, and enjoy expressing their views. Belk Scholar Nathan Bradshaw ' 08 said, “We have Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, legalistic, religious, scientific, and a host of other viewpoints in the room, all looking at the same documents. When the discussion gets rolling, the ideas that crop up are quite clearly the products of great educations. Those educations are then furthered by hearing other opinions."
During the latest discussion, which considered John Locke's views of the state of nature in his Second Treatise on Government, Forum members raised questions on contemporary issues like the Bush administration's wiretapping revelations and the controversial cartoons which sparked violence in the Middle East.
Joshua Choi '08 considers the Forum "essential to the maintenance of academic health." (Caitlin Ranson photo)
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After leading several discussions, Reid Wildman ' 08 commented, "Davidson Forum provides a valuable opportunity to discuss and debate important issues like liberty and human nature.”
Davidson Forum meetings are open to everyone, regardless of academic major or previous experience in political philosophy. Students and faculty are encouraged to attend.
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students. Since its founding by Presbyterians in 1837, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently recognized as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the nation.
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