Supporting Diversity of Thought
The School is taking a distinctive approach to addressing the need for greater diversity by starting, appropriately enough, with philosophy itself.
Three study groups have been established (see box, below), each working under the direction of Mr Donald Lambie.
Read moreThe groups publish articles from time-to-time showcasing aspects of their work. Follow the links below to read the blog posts from each group. |
The Africana Philosophy Research Group and Wisdom of Women group are in part a response to concerns some students have expressed about the School’s diversity.
“Diversity is an important area for the School and something we need to keep working at,” says Mr Lambie.
“When we ask ourselves, for example, why we have so few black students in our midst, a natural place for us to start is in seeking to better our understanding of black philosophy and philosophers. The APRG is an attempt to do that”
The Wisdom of Women group has recently restarted following a hiatus during Covid. Men are welcome too!
Mr Lambie presented some of the findings from the Philosophy and Psychology group in an online talk at the beginning of June.
He told us: “The impulse for the group was to discover what is attractive about the subject to young people - psychology is the third most popular 'A' level subject.
"It has been a most fruitful journey and has opened up all kinds of things. Growth, resilience and what explains behaviour are the three themes that we came across in answer to the initial question."
The group is now taking some time to reflect on the way forward, including what benefits there might be in proceeding further.
The study of Plato also appears to be thriving, with currently twelve groups meeting in London and the Branches, many of them online.
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