Recess Squads: Socratic Discussions
Explore the big questions, together
Hosted by 2 expert guides
Build confidence, communication skills, and mental agility through weekly conversations about moral dilemmas, ethical conundrums, and philosophical what-ifs.
This squad is hosted by a Recess guide but driven by your voice. Whether you love talking through controversial questions, defending a side you disagree with, or just listening to different points of view, this is your space.
What You'll Do
- Engage in thoughtful, open-ended discussions
- Discuss ideas and explore multiple sides of tough questions
- Use Socratic questioning to push your thinking
- Practice persuasive speaking and respectful disagreement
- Take on roles in moral dilemmas and hypothetical scenarios
- Get better at explaining your reasoning and hearing others out
What You'll Learn
Verbal Confidence: Get better at speaking up, listening well, and holding your ground Persuasive Thinking: Learn how to construct arguments and respond to tough critiques Perspective-Taking: Hear viewpoints different from your own and grow from them Emotional Intelligence: Learn to disagree without arguing and think clearly even when topics get tricky Philosophy Basics: Explore justice, fairness, identity, freedom, and more
Who It's For
- Ages 12 and up
- Curious thinkers and respectful debaters
- Anyone who loves conversation and big ideas If enough younger Recessians are interested, we will open a version for under-12 too!
A Note on Worldview and Discussion Guidelines
These squads are a space for exploring big questions, not for prescribing answers. Our goal is to foster respectful, open-ended conversations where all worldviews are welcomed and no single perspective is promoted.
We believe kids grow by hearing many viewpoints, learning to articulate their own, and challenging themselves to consider ideas they may not agree with. Guides are trained to facilitate with neutrality, ensure no one dominates the conversation, and encourage perspective-taking from all sides.
Whether your family holds specific values or simply wants assurance that the space is balanced and thoughtful, know that we take that trust seriously. Parents are always welcome to reach out with questions or concerns and a follow up with main points of each discussion will be shared at the end of each session
What You’ll Need
- A working mic and camera (Camera on is a requirement)
- Willingness to listen, speak, and explore ideas with care
Pick a time
Age ranges are just suggestions! You can register for any cohort.
Meet the guides
Expert guides leading this course
Course updates
Updates from guides of this course
Jan 8 @ 10:58 PM
**************************************************. ********************************************* a visual showing just how massive a billion really is and trying to wrap our heads around the scale of that number, we tackled three tough scenarios about wealth, justice, and inequa...
Dec 18 @ 11:58 PM
Practicing moral reasoning through thought experiments and welcoming the newest member to the agora! Welcome *****!
Today we practiced:
- Separating personal intuition from logical argument when discussing abstract concepts
- Using assumptions deliberately in thought experiments...
Jan 16 @ 12:39 AM
Building our discussion foundation
This, our first session focused on setting norms for respectful philosophical discussion and shared expectations for the Socratic Squad (see the our agreements below). We explored how to disagree thoughtfully, ask clarifying questions, and sep...
Jan 29 @ 11:55 PM
Today we did a bit of a deep dive into some of the different branches of utilitarianism. A philosophy that says the right action is the one that creates the most good and causes the least harm. But as we discovered, "the most good" can mean very different things depending on whic...
Jan 16 @ 12:28 AM
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Jan 22 @ 10:42 PM
Intro to Utilitarianism
Today was a really impressive session guys!!
Today we practiced applying a philosophical framework to real moral dilemmas. Utilitarianism gave us a lens to examine tough questions about harm, good, and consequences.
What we practiced:
- Separating emo...
Dec 5 @ 2:57 AM
What Is Justice, Really? 🤔
Today we kicked off our first big philosophical discussion by building shared ground rules and jumping into what “justice” actually means;
We started by setting our discussion agreements and talking about how different worldviews shape the way we...
Feb 6 @ 12:09 AM
Today we discussed the ideas presented in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," a short story that explores one of the hardest moral dilemmas we have approached so far. The story presents a perfect utopian city where everyone is happy, except for one child kept in terrible suffer...
Jan 22 @ 10:34 PM
Today we practiced the Socratic method: start with a definition, test it with counterexamples, refine it, and repeat.
What we practiced:
- Defending ideas we don't fully agree with to understand multiple viewpoints
- Finding concrete counterexamples that expose weaknesses in bro...
Jan 1 @ 9:31 PM
The squad gathered for the new year and immediately faced a twist: not everyone showed up. So we pivoted from discussing *** billionaires to, the mind-body problem, a question philosophers have wrestled with for centuries.
The central dilemma: Are you your brain, or do you have ...
Dec 12 @ 2:57 AM
Today’s ********* ****** (perhaps soon to be “The ******”) leaned into big questions about justice, intentions, and outcomes while getting more comfortable narrowing our scope so we can discuss big topics in clearer and more efficient ways;
Our plan for today was to revisit las...
Feb 12 @ 11:00 PM
Today we dove into the question: does watching something bad happen—without acting—create moral responsibility? We explored the bystander effect using real cases like the 2014 Paris subway assault, where crowds watched but no one helped. The squad discussed whether fear, physical...
Feb 12 @ 11:03 PM
Today you all practiced your hands at leading the discussion about utilitarianism, exploring four different factions: act, rule, negative, and preference utilitarianism. Each version tries to maximize good and minimize harm, but they approach moral decisions in very different way...
Jan 30 @ 12:22 AM
We welcomed ****** into the squad and then jumped into one of philosophy's oldest puzzles: what makes something just or unjust? We explored the Ring of Gyges story from Plato's Republic, where a shepherd finds a ring that makes him invisible and uses it to steal, seduce the queen...
Feb 5 @ 11:49 PM
Today, as requested we dove into utilitarianism, the moral theory that says the right action creates the most good and the least harm overall. We explored some tough scenarios: Should a doctor kill one healthy person to save five dying patients? Should everyone take a pill that f...
