About us
This group is for people that want to meet new people in Kingston AND engage in deep, meaningful conversations about topics in philosophy, ethics, politics, science, etc. "The unexamined life is not worth living" is the motto of our group. If you are interested in living an examined life, please consider joining us for some fun, deep conversations.
“The unexamined life is not worth living”. Those were the words of my intellectual hero Socrates, shortly before the Athenians sentenced him to death for challenging their beliefs. Socrates was considered a bit of a pain in the butt to his contemporaries because he was always asking deep questions like “What is the good life?” and “What is justice?”. Not everyone appreciates having their ideas and beliefs questioned. But the members of The Philosopher’s Club (Kingston) embrace, indeed celebrate!, the inquisitive mindset. We long for substantive conversations about all topics- ethics, politics, art, science, religion, law, evolution, economics, psychology, etc. We believe that the life of the active mind is the good life, and we want to continue to grow, learn and develop by engaging in civil discussion and debate with kindred spirits that live in our fine city.
Who am I? I’m a professor at Queen’s University. I am a secular humanist with a PhD in philosophy and I have had the good fortune to teach thousands of bright students in England, Scotland, Canada and the United States. While not a luddite, I will admit I loath the erosion of real (vs virtual) community and “cognitive presence” I see rampant in the hyper-social-media connectivity of the modern world. Very few people have the time or desire to meet in person and converse any more. A “re-tweet” or FB “like” are inadequate substitutes to meet our desire for substantive connection that is engrained in our evolved, pro-social biology.
People are often too busy texting away with their nose glued to their phone to meet and converse with new people in “real life”. Well, I have opted out of that virtual rat race, and this meetup group is my attempt to help forge an authentic, “conversationally-present” community of like-minded Kingstonians. I hope you will consider joining me!
Why join this group?
Answer #1: To meet new people! You like people, right?
Answer #2: To be happier! You like being happy, right? Science has shown that people are happier when engaging in meaningful conversations vs making small chat.
Format of the Group.
This meetup group is a social experiment. As such, the nature and frequency of our meetings will evolve depending on the size of the group and people’s interest. But at the moment I am planning on running two styles of meetings, what I shall call “informal” meetups, and “formal” meetups.
“Informal meetups” will take place at least once a month, at a pub, coffee shop or (when weather permits) a scenic location for walking. There will be no size limit on these events, or set topic to discuss. Just show up and chat about whatever deep topics or ideas you would like to discuss and debate.
“Formal meetups” will take place once a month. These will be lunch or dinner events, with an attendee limit of only 4 people. A table reservation for 4 people will be booked in advance. And with only space for 3 other people (besides myself), please be sure you attend an event you have booked to attend (or if you have to cancel, update it so someone else can take your place). For these formal events there will be a set “Conversation Starter” topic, to try to get people’s ideas going in advance of the meeting. The topics will be detailed on the event listed.
Hope to see you at an event soon, and we can engage in some substantive conversations together! I accept requests to join the group from people who (1) are local to Ktown and (2) have a clear profile picture of their face. A sense of authentic community is important to the group.
Cheers,
Colin
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Upcoming events
3
Pint followed by Historical Improv Show at Tett
Portsmouth Tavern, 96 Yonge St, Kingston, ON K7M 1K4, Canada, Kingston, ON, CAIf you are free Saturday evening, and can manage staying up a wee bit late (10pm), then join me for a pint at the Portsmouth Tavern at 6pm, followed by the Hysterical Historical Improv show at TK Studio in the basement level of the Tett Centre (beside the Isabell) at 8pm.
I am not in this two-man improv show, just an audience member but it should be really funny. I am committed to going, so thought I would post this event here and if others are interested we can meet for a pint and chat beforehand at the Portsmouth Tavern.
Tickets for the show must be purchased beforehand, cost is $25, and you can purchase here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML6726KN1EK2J/checkout/6DBPLW2ZFNZ2SVYH2YI4L6UI?src=embed
If you can make it I will see you for a pre-show pint at the Portsmouth Tavern around 6pm.
Cheers,
Colin2 attendees
Morris News From Nowhere
Lake Ontario Park, 920 King Street West, Kingston, ON, CAContinuing on with the theme of utopian thinking, William Morris's News From Nowhere (1890) is next on my reading list. Morris addresses the importance of craft, community and harmony in society. Given the technological transformations of today, with things like AI impacting different domains of work life, I thought it would be a fun and timely read to engage with.
The link to the PDF of his book is here:
https://www.sfu.ca/~poitras/Morris_News-from=Nowhere.pdf
A youtube audiobook is available here (7 hours in length):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vguhNQFD_38&t=17sA shorter video description about Morris for those more pressed for time that want to join us but cannot read the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiNFoJqOJhs
Please be sure to bring a lawn chair, we will be sitting under a tree just past the sheltered area where the bathrooms are located.
Should be an interesting and fun discussion, hope to see some of you there!Cheers,
Colin8 attendees
Bader Lecture in European Art
Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, 390 King St W, Kingston, ON K7L 2X4, Canada, Kingston, ON, CAThis is not an official Philosophy Meetup event. I am attending this free event, and if others are interested feel free to join me. Doors open at 5:30pm, lecture starts at 6pm. The event will also be streamed live if you cannot attend in person.
The advertised info for the event is as follows:
- In this annual lecture program that celebrates the legacy and interests of Drs. Isabel and Alfred Bader, an outstanding scholar presents a free public lecture on a topic in European art. This year, in anticipation of what would have been Isabel Bader’s 100th birthday, Dr. Mei Mei Rado presents “The Silk Road in Reverse: The Global Lives of Eighteenth-Century European Silks.” This talk will focus on the fascinating and unexpected ways European textiles circulated in the early modern period.
- Dr. Mei Mei Rado is Assistant Professor of Decorative Arts at Bard Graduate Center. Her research focuses on textiles, dress, and decorative arts in China and France from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries, especially on Sino-French exchanges. Previously she was Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and she also held research positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Institut national d’histoire de l’art in Paris, and the Palace Museum, Beijing. Her recent book The Empire’s New Cloth: Cross-Cultural Textiles at the Qing Court (Yale University Press, 2025) was a finalist for College Art Association's 2026 Charles Rufus Morey Award and a winner of the Louis Gottschalk Prize awarded by the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies.
- This program is supported by the Bader Legacy Fund and presented in partnership with the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.
The link to the details of the event are below, you need to register, the event is free (but you still need to get an QR code and provide your info in advance).
Isabel and Alfred Bader Lecture in European Art | Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
Should be an interesting event, hope to see some of you there!
Cheers,
Colin12 attendees
Past events
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