East history teacher and the Ethics Club advisor Mr. Marc Pierlott is looking to start a new elective available for all grades at East. Philosophy 1: Ethics and the Art of Thinking will teach students the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to become active, informed citizens and contributing members of society.

This class will be designed to examine both hypothetical and real-world case studies and find solutions that are based on reasoning. Mr. Pierlott hopes this course will allow students to debate history and current events in a peaceful, polite, and open manner.  

Pierlott described how he is passionate about examining philosophy and looking at history through a philosophical lens and he hopes that this course will bring the same joy to the students.

“I think philosophy takes you through all of the social sciences including where we all come from, how we as a society are created, and how all cultures connect,” Pierlott said. “It is fascinating to learn why we have all of the things that we call ‘norms’ today.” 

He described how East does not have much time in school dedicated to respectful conversations about social issues, which he hopes to correct with this course.  

Gina Liu, East senior and school-wide vice president, expressed interest in the development of this course because of the positive experiences she has had in the Ethics Club.

“[The Ethics Club] was eye-opening – it forced me to think about an issue from all sides, not just that of my own. Not only that, but it forced me to acknowledge the validity the other side might have,” Liu said. “On top of that, the ability to engage respectfully in discussions will allow for students to recognize the humanity of the people on the other side.” 

By conducting a survey of East students, it was shown that roughly 80% of the 185 surveyors do not think that there is enough time dedicated to respectful conversations in school. It was also recorded that an even higher percentage are interested in taking this proposed class. With this support, Philosophy 1: Ethics and the Art of Thinking will hopefully be offered starting next school year as a semester-long elective that focuses on applying multiple ethical schools of thought on modern-day social dilemmas.

The course would be the newest addition to the history department’s electives. After gathering data from a few members of the Ethics Club, there is definitely student interest in introducing this elective to East. Students should be on the lookout for the launch of this new course.