The Toronto Philosophy Meetup

Spinoza is a 17th-century philosopher who sought what he believed we all seek: true happiness. Observing that most seek happiness through riches, fame, or sensual pleasure unsuccessfully, he set out on a quest to seek such an end. Having found what he sought, he detailed it in his work Ethics.

Spinoza's Ethics is based purely on logic and reason. There is no mysticism or leaps of faith. Spinoza discovered that most of the suffering and pain we experience is due to our misunderstanding of the truth of things. The Ethics is difficult not because it is especially complex but because it conflicts with falsehoods most take as fundamental truths.

This six-part lecture series is designed to cover Spinoza's Ethics in its entirety. Although it is unlikely you will come away with a full understanding, this series should be enough to make his difficult work more accessible.

Series Outline:

Nearly everyone has played a game. But what, exactly, is a game? After all, the category appears to encompass a wide variety of (not always human) activities, from board games to video games to the Olympic games. Games can be solitary, cooperative, or competitive, and depend in varying degrees on chance or skill; they include activities as different as Street Fighter and Solitaire, Monopoly and basketball, beer pong and fetch. To make matters more complicated, we often use the word “game” to describe attitudes toward things we do not usually perceive as games — as when we accuse people of treating an important task or a relationship “like a game” or we play games with other people’s (or each other’s…) emotions.

What, then, does it mean for something to be — or for someone to play — a game? At our next Curiosity Café, moderated by Sophia Whicher and Adrian Ma, we will engage in a playful, but by no means frivolous, exploration of these and other questions about the nature and value of games, including:

• What makes something a game? Is there a feature that is common to everything we call a “game”? (For example: must all games have rules?)
• What does it mean to play, or to treat something like, a game?
• What can games tell us about the importance of play in our lives?
• Are games always amusing or unserious?
• What is the value, if any, of playing games?
• When is it good to treat something like a game? When is it bad?
• Why is cheating in a game often seen as a big deal?
• Can we imagine a world without games? What would that look like?

Don’t play games with our expectations — reserve your spot by purchasing a ticket on Eventbrite now! ;)

In the lead-up to the next presidential administration, the Heritage Foundation and dozens of conservative organizations launched Project 2025, a comprehensive effort to reshape the federal government. The initiative outlines sweeping reforms to government agencies, public policies, and leadership priorities with the stated goal of reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy, restoring individual liberties, and promoting a particular vision of American values.

For some, Project 2025 represents a bold effort to return to what they see as the founding principles of the United States. For others, it raises concerns about the balance of power, individual rights, and the role of government in protecting vulnerable communities.

This event will explore Project 2025’s core objectives, including:

• Limiting federal regulatory power and promoting local governance.
• Restructuring social policies with a focus on family, religious freedom, and national sovereignty.
• Reforming economic, environmental, and foreign policies according to a conservative framework.

But we’ll also ask the broader questions:

• Where are we now as a nation in terms of balancing freedom, safety, and opportunity?
• How can we create a system of governance that empowers citizens without unnecessary harm?
• What ethical principles should guide both conservative and liberal efforts to shape the future?

Whether you agree with Project 2025 or oppose its aims, this conversation invites people across the political spectrum to engage thoughtfully, understand each other’s perspectives, and discuss the future of American leadership and values.

Format: Lecture and discussion

Note: social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.