Welcome to the Denver Philosophy Club. To begin with the standard question—*What is Philosophy?*—Philosophy is part logic, part critical thinking, part tinkering and part understanding—as well much, much more. To be a bit more precise Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence especially when considered as an academic discipline. Another words philosophy is the examination of our life.
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Philosophy goes through a series of stages in discussion, dialogue or argument. First *Aporeia* from the Greek to mean perplexity; next, *Praxa* meaning action or practice; finally *Philosophia* from the Greek to mean ‘*love of wisdom*’. \
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There are several definitive disciplines of Philosophy. Epistemology (taken from the Greek ‘*epistēmē*’ meaning knowledge) which is the study of knowledge, truth, belief, justification as theories of knowledge. Logic (from the Greek ‘*logos*’ meaning reason or word) is the study of reasoning, argumentation, validity and certainty. Metaphysics (in Greek to literally mean ‘beyond’ or ‘after’ and ‘physics’ taken from a book Aristotle wrote after ‘The Physics’) which is the study of the fundamental nature of reality.
Philosophical Morality, where morality is to mean “a class of rules held by society to govern the conduct of its members behavior”, thus Philosophy of Morality is the study of those rules of conduct and their justifications as ethical theories. And Aesthetics (from the Greek *aisthetikos* to mean esthetic, sensitive or sentient) which is the study of art, beauty, taste, perception and the nature of judgments. There are numerous ‘notable to mention’ fields in Philosophy. Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of Logic; Philosophy of History; Philosophy of Law; Philosophy of Science; Philosophy of Mind; Philosophy of Religion; and the Philosophy of Language to just name a few.
There are philosophical topics such as Free Will, or 'do we have free will or are we products of determinism’?—
So we are a discussion group that does ‘philosophy’.
The Format of the Meetings:
Topics are suggested and refined by those attending the meeting. Then by pure democracy we collectively vote for the best 2-4 top topics and break into 2-4 groups to discuss them.
Some general guidelines for the meetings:
We tackle philosophical issues casually and informally. If you are into some deep conversation about life, existence and the nature of knowledge and value—this is the group for you. If you are into academic, in-depth, complex dialogue about esoteric philosophical matters—well this group is for you as well.
If you would like a lively discussion to rival those you spent in the wee hours at college, while your brain marinated in substances whose names you can no longer pronounce now that you've taken them, then by all means join us!
Membership is free to attend. However, if anybody wishes to provide a donation to help offset the nominal fees Meetup.com charges, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
