Year 7 Interschool Philosophy Workshop

Recently, eight Year 7 students represented Oxley at an Interschool Philosophy Workshop at Tintern Grammar. In this enrichment activity, students were introduced to some of the key areas of philosophical thought, including the theory of knowledge, metaphysics, ethics and logic. They worked in small groups to discuss philosophical concepts, and grapple with hypothetical problems and logical conundrums.

The students involved were Leah C, Patrick A, Vivaan L, Arush S, Zichong Y, Acacia C, Milton L and Steven R.

Patrick and Leah’s reflections:

This workshop was very enlightening. I really enjoyed discussing complex ideas and thinking with my peers. It made me think about a lot of things that I might have ignored in my day-to-day life.

A variety of perspectives were presented which opened our eyes to new ways of perceiving situations.

It was very interesting to find out some of the early philosophers and how philosophical thinking changed as time went on.

Highlights included learning about time and ethics. What some people believe is ethical can seem incredibly unethical to other people. A quote that stood out to me was: ‘Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.’ This is relevant in so many different situations today, particularly regarding technology and AI.”

I found the discussion about time travel very interesting, because of the paradoxes that this concept causes.

I enjoyed working with others on problem solving as it made me think about different ways to approach problems.

Mrs Sharon Sandison

Head of Learning Enhancement