What we're about

P&G is more than just a group of people. It is a community. A community of philosophers, thinkers, book readers, paper readers, and folks that ask the foundational questions. What is the meaning of life? How do we know what we know? What makes us human? These are some of the questions that P&G members explore together through lively discussions and debates. But P&G is not only about intellectual pursuits. It is also a community of thoughtful people coming together to hike, and hangout. Whether it's enjoying the beauty of nature, sharing a meal, or playing games, P&G members bond over their common interests and values. P&G is a community where you can find friends who challenge you to grow and support you along the way.

Upcoming events (4+)

Preludes: Kant to Wittgenstein

Link visible for attendees

For this seventh discussion in the series, please read Wittgenstein, The Blue Book pp. 1-17 (book), pp. 1-top of 21 (pdf) ending with “we can build up the complicated forms from the primitive ones by gradually adding new forms.”

In lieu of a biographical sketch, please read this illuminating and amusing account of the house he designed: A dwelling for the gods.

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What is knowable? How can cognition reach its object? What is consciousness? How do words mean? These are the issues addressed in the following short texts:

  • Kant, A Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics
  • Husserl, The Idea of Phenomenology
  • Sartre, The Transcendence of the Ego
  • Wittgenstein, The Blue Book

Rather than a vertical deep dive into a particular philosopher, we will take a horizontal slice of the major currents of modern European thought. A prevailing theme is the ego’s being, awareness and understanding.

Each selection is both prospective prelude and retrospective postlude to the respective philosopher’s thought. Whether you are dabbling in the source material or have braved the major writings and seek a fresh perspective, you are invited to contribute.

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Sources:

Kant:
Book
pdf

Husserl:
pdf

Sartre:
Book
pdf

Wittgenstein
Book
pdf

Speculative, Philosophical, and Experimental Writing Critique Group

Needs a location

This critique group is kept private to preserve the privacy of critique submissions. Most don't RSVP on Meetup.

To join, please message Laurie Parker. Include in your message: (1) A description of your current writing project(s), (2) Your goals for joining this writer's critique group, (3) A brief history of yourself as a writer, including past projects, education, and related. Your message doesn't have to be anything in-depth. It is moreso a way of making sure that you're serious about observing and that your intentions/projects are a good fit for this critique group.

About

As the title suggests, we critique writing that is speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, surrealism, slipstream, etc.), philosophical (idea-driven, writing with a message, etc.), and experimental (unusual language, visual/musical aspects, transgressive, etc.). Prose poetry and plays will not be turned away. All writing submitted for critique should fit at least one of these categories.

Example Works

Of course, the authors that inspire us may vary, and widely. Nonetheless, here's a list of some authors that have inspired me, and which we might use as an (incomplete) list of the kind of writing that should be submitted to this critique group.

Virginia Woolf; David Gemmel; Upton Sinclair; John Steinbeck; Frank Herbert; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Salley Roony; Margeret Atwood; Isaac Asimov; Albert Camus; Henry James; Arthur Rimbaud; C.S. Lewis; Arundhati Roy; H.G. Wells; Chinua Achebe; Abdulrazak Gurnah; Harold Pinter; Alice Munro; Homer; Maggie Nelson; Shakespeare; Emily Brontë; Robert Jordan; Zadie Smith; George Elliot.

Critique Group Structure

  • Meets weekly Thursdays from 6:00pm-7:30pm, PT.
  • Both short and long fiction + non-fiction can be submitted.
  • Submissions should be polished and appropriately formatted.
  • Submission length maximum: 15,000 words (many submissions are shorter).
  • Back-to-back weekly submissions for novelists + long-form writers are encouraged.
  • Participants are expected to closely read the submission and arrive prepared to discuss it in depth for 1.5 hours.
  • If, for whatever reason, a participant can't read the submission in time for our meeting and/or can't attend our meeting, that participant is urged to provide a 1 page written summary of feedback to the submitting writer.

Community

We're a serious yet fun group of writers with eclectic projects and tastes. We're always looking to meet new friends and grow our community so we hope you'll consider observing a critique group - and if we're a good fit for one another, continuing to hang out with us Thursday evenings!

We meet on the Blinding Cyclops Discord server. Join link: https://discord.gg/4uCVFs4vHw You can read our full syllabus under the category "Writer's Critique Groups." The rest of the channels under this category are kept hidden to preserve the privacy of critique group submissions, but will be opened up to you when your observation has been confirmed.

Commitments

This critique group's structure requires a weekly attendance commitment, so it's only right for writers who are committed to writing and critiquing.

Wobblies

Needs a location

Wobblies!: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World edited by Paul Buhle and Nicole Schulman

The History of the Culture of the West

Online event

AGNOSTICS GROUP - Melbourne, Australia.
Some of us are participating in their online event.
Russell Miles will present the topic and lead the discussion.

Russell Miles' demarcation line for Modern Europe:
"Western Culture encompasses the Mediterranean to the Arctic.
Modern Greece is considered Western, but Eastern Orthodox.
Turkey betrays many of the characteristics of Western culture, but has not been accepted into the European Union.
The boundary was more obvious during the Cold War from the perspective of the subjugated Communist countries. It was everywhere else that was Free - where you buy blue jeans, not have to queue for bread and could listen to Pop Music - eg, France, Finland, USA, Japan, Australia, Latin America.
When the Cold War ended the boundary moved Eastwards to include the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, but not Belarus and, perhaps, Bulgaria."

The Agnostics Group discusses the pros and cons of Agnosticism.
They welcome ALL viewpoints, including criticism of Agnosticism.
Past and future Agnostics Group topics

The ZOOM Link will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID:[masked] - - Passcode:[masked]pm Friday in California is 2pm Saturday in Melbourne.

Past events (1,278)

Reading "Art of War" - Chapter 11 - @Chapter by Chapter

This event has passed

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