News World Philosophy Day Inspires Deeper Thinking and Dialogue 21.11.2025

This year’s Languages Week also coincided with World Philosophy Day which aims to celebrate the importance of philosophy to humanity, both as a method of critical thought and a treasure trove of cultural ideas. Our Philosophy Ambassadors, Amandine and Darcie, Upper Sixth, wrote a piece outlining all of the exciting activities that they had helped organise in school:

‘On Thursday 20 November, we celebrated World Philosophy Day with a focus on the intersection of philosophy with other subjects and encouraging younger years to develop interests in philosophy beyond what they do in class. At lunch, four talks were held, all made by the Upper Sixth such as: The aesthetics of morality in Frankenstein and Metamorphosis, Free will in Physics and Philosophy, Morality and the state, and an application of Bergson’s Creative Evolution to film. These discussions were open to all staff and students, allowing for free and productive dialogue between students of all ages, interests, and points of views interpreting the information given. Additionally, it was an opportunity to ask questions about Philosophy at GCSE, A-Level, and university level. Whether the conversation was about quantum physics, idealism, the grotesque, or time and subjectivity, students and staff were able to delve into deep philosophical discussions.

‘Additionally, an assembly which focused on the perspectives of a range of philosophers on the meaning of life, and how to live a good life, was held for the Year 9s. This encompassed a number of philosophers from different eras and cultural backgrounds, highlighting the overlap in many beliefs on how we should act in order to flourish. The presentation gave a broad overview on subjects including existentialism, its origins and related philosophies, as well as looking at the myths and influences around Confucius, Laozi and its effects on Chinese culture. This encouraged people to reflect on how they may use, or notice how different philosophical perspectives may be influential to our daily lives and our beliefs on what it means to be moral.

‘Finally, a treasure hunt was organised and was open to all students to find philosophers hidden across the school. As World Philosophy Day coincided with Modern Languages Week, the clues distributed had to be translated from a range of different languages from Sanskrit to German. The Year 7s were especially motivated in discovering some of the most emblematic philosophers of philosophical history (and also receiving a prize afterwards)!

‘Overall, this year’s World Philosophy day was filled with an array of different areas of philosophy from different countries and in different languages, all approached with enthusiasm and active participation from all students.’