What we’re about
We're a community that practices and discusses philosophy, being free and open to all levels and backgrounds. We offer seminars, a variety of discussion formats, and the occasional lecture / guest speaker.
Many meetings will have fewer RSVPs than people who actually attend. This is because overtime people stop making use of Meetup.com and instead communicate with their groups via Discord, Slack, Zoom, E-mail, or similar You can think of the list of events hosted on this Meetup as advertisements for groups seeking new participants.
Our philosophy offerings are organized and facilitated by volunteers. If you have a philosophy offering - or an offering that compliments the study of philosophy, such as in literature, the sciences, and so on - that you'd like to advertise through this Meetup, please contact the organizer. We're grateful to those who want to enrich Seattle with study and discussion!
Participants must speak, write, and act in a considerate, professional, and respectful manner, and be prepared for the meetings that they attend, having reviewed the materials to the degree necessary to participate. If you haven't reviewed the materials but still wish to attend an event, please consult the event facilitator regarding the best manner for you to be present.
We look forward to studying philosophy together!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Medieval Civilization: Millennia in Microcosm Week 149Link visible for attendees
In Kenneth Smith’s “Selfless Love and The Encompassing”, chapter seven of "Millennia in Microcosm", Smith explores how Christianity transformed this innate human longing into agape, a love that overflows ego and transcends worldly limitations. Through the miracle of the loaves and fishes, he illustrates how spiritual goods—unlike material ones—multiply as they are shared. Smith challenges us to reckon with the moral bankruptcy of narrow self-interest, arguing that true flourishing lies in communal spiritual abundance, not competitive accumulation.
C: Selfless Love and The Encompassing https://kennethsmithphilosophy.com/end07.php
- Aristotle's On Interpretation - Live-Reading--European StyleLink visible for attendees
July 1st - We are reading chapter 14 on distinguishing assertions about beliefs versus assertions about things out there. The bookmark is set at Bekker line 23a27.
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If you have a belief about something, then it's true to assert that you have that belief regardless of whether the belief itself corresponds to what is out there. So, what is the contrary belief of a belief, and what is its truth status?
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Let's say someone has the belief that muddy water boosts children's immunity when they play in it. Okay. It is true for him. It is not true for someone else. A belief is an opinion; everyone is entitled to his. Fine. If the same person were to entertain a contrary belief, how strong would it have to be to change his mind? How would it be stated?
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Join the meeting and discuss.
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----Organon means "instrument," as in, instrument for thought and speech. The term was given by ancient commentators to a group of Aristotle's treatises comprising his logical works.
Organon
|-- Categories ---- 2023.02.28
|-- On Interpretation ---- 2023.12.12
|-- Topics
|-- On Sophistical Refutations
|-- Rhetoric*
|-- Prior Analytics
|-- Posterior Analytics(* Robin Smith, author of SEP's 2022 entry "Aristotle's Logic," argues that Rhetoric should be part of the Organon.)
Whenever we do any human thing, we can either do it well or do it poorly. With instruments, we can do things either better, faster, and more; or worse, slower, and less. That is, with instruments they either augment or diminish our doings.
Do thinking and speaking (and writing and listening) require instruments? Yes. We do need physical instruments like microphones, megaphones, pens, papers, computers. But we also need mental instruments: grammar, vocabulary words, evidence-gathering techniques, big-picture integration methods, persuasion strategies. Thinking while sitting meditatively all day in a lotus position doesn't require much instrumentation of any kind, but thinking and speaking well in the sense of project planning, problem-solving, negotiating, arguing, deliberating--that is, the active doings in the world (whether romantic, social, commercial, or political)--do require well-honed mental instruments. That's the Organon in a nutshell.
Are you an up-and-coming human being, a doer, go-getter, achiever, or at least you're choosing to become one? You need to wield the Organon.
Join us.
- FTI: Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”Link visible for attendees
Is it beautiful? Is it big? What should we make of it? What are the good and bad parts of it (just from skimming what it does, I know there are both good and bad parts of it). I’ll share what it does and doesn’t do, and then explain what I think is good vs. bad and why. Then in the Q&A/discussion you can give your opinions (about the bill, or my opinions, or both, as you prefer).
Format: Lecture and discussion
Note: social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zgAfter registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.
Here’s our legal notice: For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.
