What we’re about
The Austin Philosophy Discussion Group (APDG) offers many opportunities for discussions of philosophy and philosophical issues. No advance preparation or knowledge is required, unless stated in the meeting description. All our meetings are free of charge.
Click on "Meetups" just under the picture, above, to see details about upcoming meetups. The types of meetups that we have are:
- Weekly Lecture/Discussion groups, which offer free DVD lectures and discussions covering a wide range of philosophical topics.
- Special Events and Lectures covering topics of interest to our membership.
We are always open to new ideas, so come and share your thoughts at one of our meetings.
This group is a member of the Virtual Philosophy Network, a consortium of philosophy groups like ours in the U.S. and Canada. Now that Meetup events are virtual, we can discuss ideas with folks from all over the continent, and we have a broader range of topics to choose from. Go to https://sites.google.com/view/virtualphilosophynetwork to see all the Meetup groups in the network,
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Our web site also features lively discussions, within a culture that values civil discourse.
Here's what civil discourse is: Conversation intended to enhance understanding. It employs language of dispassionate objectivity. Civil discourse requires mutual respect of the participants. It neither diminishes the other's moral worth, nor questions their good judgment; it avoids hostility and direct antagonism. It requires an appreciation for the other participants' experiences.
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/594932535
Private message me over meetup to get the password.
The attendee limit is 10 to allow easier discussion.
How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance | Wondrium
"Scholar William Landon leads you through the dazzling trajectory of the Medici, where you’ll trace the founding of the Medici dynasty as an economic powerhouse. Learn how the Medici played central roles in the preserving of classical texts and the commissioning of iconic works of art and architecture."
At each meeting, we watch / listen to a lecture together, and then discuss lecture together.
Typically, we cover one lecture per week. See the event’s title for what lecture is for that event.
Here is the full list of lectures for the course:
1 Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance
2 The Foundations of Medici Greatness
3 The Godfather: Cosimo de’ Medici
4 The Gouty: Piero de’ Medici
5 Lorenzo the Magnificent
6 Magnificence Achieved
7 The First Collapse of the Medici Regime
8 Theocracy and Republicanism at Florence
9 The Medici Restoration
10 The Last Florentine Republic
11 The Black Prince: Alessandro de’ Medici
12 Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Aristotle's On Interpretation - Live-Reading--European StyleLink visible for attendees
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
|-- Prior Analytics
|-- Posterior Analytics
|-- Topics
|-- On Sophistical Refutations
|-- Rhetoric*(* 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.
- THE PLAN 9 BOOK CLUB FROM OUTER SPACE ... READS SARTREAustin Recreation Center, Austin, TX
The Plan 9 Book Club From Outer Space has been in operation since 2016, studying the most important works in modern western Philosophy. To date, we’ve studied the major works of Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger.
In February of 2023, w began a study of Jean-Paul Sartre’s BEING AND NOTHINGNESS. We meet every Tuesday evening, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, to carry on in-depth discussions of the text. This is a discussion group; not a lecture class.
We hold our meetings IN-PERSON at the Austin Recreation Center, 1301 Shoal Creek Boulevard: https://www.google.com/maps/place/30%C2%B016'41.4%22N+97%C2%B044'56.3%22W/@30.2781667,-97.7511609,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d30.27816!4d-97.74897 .
Most Tuesdays, after studying Sartre, several of us continue the discussion over nachos and beer, down the street at The Tavern. The food and drink are optional, of course, but the conversation is always strong!
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As I mentioned, Plan 9 is a group that likes to do deep studies of our book choices. We discuss, in detail, the week's reading assignment--mastering the new concepts and fitting them into the author’s overall thesis. The goal is to gain an understanding of the author’s philosophy. Our discussion of BEING AND NOTHINGNESS will take place over several meetings. I estimate that we’ll spend 60 weeks in detailed discussion of the text—working out the themes and the meanings of Sartre’s masterpiece.
The text we use is BEING AND NOTHINGNESS, by Jean-Paul Sartre, translated by Sarah Richmond; Washington Square Press; September 7, 2021:
https://www.amazon.com/Being-Nothingness-Jean-Paul-Sartre/dp/1982105453/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1664209775&refinements=p_27%3ASarah+Richmond&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Sarah+RichmondSome of our members have chosen--either as their primary source or as a reference to be read in parallel with the Richmond translation--the first and highly regarded English translation of BEING AND NOTHINGNESS, published in 1956 by Hazel Barnes:
https://www.amazon.com/Being-Nothingness-Hazel-Barnes/dp/0671496069/ref=monarch_sidesheetTo the best of my knowledge, these are the only two English translations.
BEING AND NOTHINGNESS requires some explanation, and many of us have taken up companion books to help our understanding of the text. I use a book titled A COMMENTARY ON JEAN-PAUL SARTRE’S BEING AND NOTHINGNESS, by Joseph Catalano, University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (September 15, 1985):
https://www.amazon.com/Commentary-Jean-Paul-Sartres-Nothingness-Reprint/dp/0226096998/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O4CVOQ6MVNQ4&keywords=joseph+S.+Catalano&qid=1664215757&s=books&sprefix=joseph+s.+catalano%2Cstripbooks%2C128&sr=1-2
Commentary books provide a great deal of much-needed background information that is important for understanding BEING AND NOTHINGNESS.Any other references that you may wish to use are welcomed.
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Each week, we share what we’ve learned from Sartre and from our companion books in an effort to attain full understanding of BEING AND NOTHINGNESS and its position within the realm of Philosophical thought.
If this sort of work interests you, sign up here and join us. We have about ten regular members, and new people have come and gone over the years. Everyone is more than welcome to join in.
Cheers,
Leonard - The Medici 9 The Medici RestorationLink visible for attendees
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/594932535
Private message me over meetup to get the password.
The attendee limit is 10 to allow easier discussion.How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance | Wondrium
"Scholar William Landon leads you through the dazzling trajectory of the Medici, where you’ll trace the founding of the Medici dynasty as an economic powerhouse. Learn how the Medici played central roles in the preserving of classical texts and the commissioning of iconic works of art and architecture."
At each meeting, we watch / listen to a lecture together, and then discuss lecture together.
Typically, we cover one lecture per week. See the event’s title for what lecture is for that event.
Here is the full list of lectures for the course:
1 Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance
2 The Foundations of Medici Greatness
3 The Godfather: Cosimo de’ Medici
4 The Gouty: Piero de’ Medici
5 Lorenzo the Magnificent
6 Magnificence Achieved
7 The First Collapse of the Medici Regime
8 Theocracy and Republicanism at Florence
9 The Medici Restoration
10 The Last Florentine Republic
11 The Black Prince: Alessandro de’ Medici
12 Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
