Philosophy

Socratic Society

The Socratic Society is a student organization dedicated to promoting philosophical activity at UALR. The organization is open to anyone in the UALR community who enjoys thinking about life’s most fundamental questions – you don’t have to be a philosophy major to join in! We discuss topics like the existence of God, human free will, the foundations of morality, and whether animals have rights, as well as contemporary social and political issues like the state of the U.S. prison system and possible justifications for military action.

The Socratic Society hosts informal discussions, film screenings, game nights, etc. In addition, we bring guest speakers to campus from institutions all over the country and beyond. Recent guest speakers have included:

  • Sina Kramer (Loyola Marymount University)
  • Taine Duncan (University of Central Arkansas)
  • Leigh Johnson (Rhodes College)
  • Adam S. Miller (Collin College)
  • Neil Sinhababu (National University of Singapore)
  • Steven DeCaroli (Goucher College)
  • Charles Mills (University of Illinois, Chicago)
  • Fred Ablondi (Hendrix College)
  • Jeff Shore (Hanzano University)

For more information about the Socratic Society, contact Dr. Jana McAuliffe (jxmcauliffe@ualr.edu)

You may also add yourself to the Socratic Society listserv by sending an email to listserv@ualr.edu:

  • Leave the subject line blank
  • In the message body type: subscribe socrates Your Name (example: subscribe socrates Friedrich Nietzsche)
  • Make sure you delete any extraneous information such as signatures, backgrounds, etc.

You should receive a confirmation letting you know that you have been added to the list.