About us
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 "Events" 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 world, 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.
Featured event
The Olmecs 3 San Lorenzo
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/594932535
Private message me over meetup to get the password.
The attendee limit is 10 to allow easier discussion.
The Olmecs: Mesoamerica’s Mysterious First Civilization
"Journey through the world of ancient Mesoamerica with insights from classic archaeology and cutting-edge technology."
At each meeting, we watch / listen to a lecture together and then discuss it 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 Evolving Olmec Origins Story
2 The Olmec Discovered
3 San Lorenzo
4 Mesoamerican Mother Culture?
5 La Venta
6 Olmec Iconography and Religion
7 Life as an Olmec
8 The Western Olmec
9 Tres Zapotes and the Epi-Olmecs
10 Epi-Olmec Script
11 Olmec Calendars and Astronomy
12 The Olmec Legacy
Upcoming events
315
Pickleball With New Friends!
Pickleland, 21427 Martin Lane, Pflugerville, TX, USI’mIMPORTANT: Please sign up at the Pickleland app or website directly. Be aware that this event is a paid event. You can pay on the app (preferred) or in person.
Join us for a casual, fun way to meet other people and make friends while playing pickleball.
Beginners are welcome! You don’t need a paddle; you can rent one at Pickleland! We will teach you the rules and how to play.
If you are an experienced player, we will have competitive courts also!
Use code “FUNSOCIALEVENTS” for 10% off any social event on the Pickleland website: https://play.pickleland.com/programs?facility_id=970&category=&search=&view=grid
Disclaimer: The host of this event and meetup are not liable for any injuries, loss of funds, or any type of unfortunate event that happens to any attendees of the meetup.
11 attendees
Aristotle's Dialectic - Topics I - Live-Reading--European Style
·OnlineOnlineFebruary 24 - We are reading chapter 8 of Topics, Book I, at Bekker lines 103ab1–1033b19. Having explained the three meanings of sameness: in number, in form, in kind--Aristotle bids us to notice the two ways we can justify the validity of the classification of the predicables.
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We are using the translation by Robin Smith: Topics Books I & VIII (Oxford University Press, 1997), pages 7 through 8.
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Smith in his helpful "Introduction" forewarns us that because we don't know what we are ignorant of, we barbarians don't know yet what dialectic is or why we need it. So there will be learning pain involved as we bootstrap ourselves toward knowing and practicing what we will learn. The payoff will be tremendous and will be commensurate with personal effort.
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A new reading adventure beckons you and your willpower. Join us.
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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 ---- 2025.10.21
|-- 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.
3 attendeesThe Olmecs 3 San Lorenzo
·OnlineOnlinehttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/594932535
Private message me over meetup to get the password.
The attendee limit is 10 to allow easier discussion.The Olmecs: Mesoamerica’s Mysterious First Civilization
"Journey through the world of ancient Mesoamerica with insights from classic archaeology and cutting-edge technology."
At each meeting, we watch / listen to a lecture together and then discuss it 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 Evolving Olmec Origins Story
2 The Olmec Discovered
3 San Lorenzo
4 Mesoamerican Mother Culture?
5 La Venta
6 Olmec Iconography and Religion
7 Life as an Olmec
8 The Western Olmec
9 Tres Zapotes and the Epi-Olmecs
10 Epi-Olmec Script
11 Olmec Calendars and Astronomy
12 The Olmec Legacy4 attendees
Past events
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