About us
Welcome to the Toronto Philosophy Meetup! This is a community (online and in-person) for anyone interested in philosophy, including newcomers to the subject. We host discussions, talks, reading groups, pub nights, debates, and other events on an inclusive range of topics and perspectives in philosophy, drawing from an array of materials (e.g. philosophical writings, for the most part, but also movies, literature, history, science, art, podcasts, poetry, current events, ethnographies, and whatever else seems good.)
Anyone is welcome to host philosophy-related events here. We also welcome speakers and collaborations with other groups.
Join us at an event soon for friendship, cooperative discourse, and mental exercise!
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Bluesky and join our new Discord for discussion and to stay in touch with other members.
(🚨🚨🚨 WARNING: FRADULENT EMAILS are circulating that IMPERSONATE organizers of this group and eventually ask you for money or personal information if you engage. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED SUCH AN EMAIL OR IF YOU ARE UNCERTAIN about any message claiming to represent this group, PLEASE REPORT IT by contacting the main organizer Darren directly through Meetup's messaging system or email us at philosophyto [at] gmail [dot] com. Be vigilant for scams in general, which are everywhere these days and easier than ever to generate because of A.I. 🚨🚨🚨)
Feel free to propose meetup topics (you can do this on the Message Boards), and please contact us if you would like to be a speaker or host an event.
(Note: Most of our events have moved online because of the pandemic.)
"Philosophy is not a theory but an activity."
— from "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus", Wittgenstein
"Discourse cheers us to companionable
reflection. Such reflection neither
parades polemical opinions nor does it
tolerate complaisant agreement. The sail
of thinking keeps trimmed hard to the
wind of the matter."
— from "On the Experience of Thinking", Heidegger
See here for an extensive list of podcasts and resources on the internet about philosophy.
See here for the standards of conduct that our members are expected to abide by. Members should also familiarize themselves with Meetup's Terms of Service Agreement, especially the section on Usage and Content Policies.
See here for a list of other philosophy-related groups to check out in the Toronto area.
Please note that no advertising of external events, products, businesses, or organizations is allowed on this site without permission from the main organizer.
* * * * *
Make a Donation
Since 2016, the Toronto Philosophy Meetup has been holding regular events that are free, open to the public, and help to foster community and a culture of philosophy in Toronto and beyond. To help us continue to do so into the future, please consider supporting us with a donation! Any amount is most welcome.
You can make a donation here.
See here for more information and to meet our donors.
Supporters will be listed on our donors page unless they wish to remain anonymous. We thank them for their generosity!
If you would like to help out or support us in other ways (such as with any skills or expertise you may have), please contact us.
Note: You can also use the donation link to tip individual hosts. Let us know who you want to tip in the notes section. You can also contact hosts directly for ways to tip them.
Featured event
Foucault on Psychiatric Power
Hi all,
This is Alex Conway. Some of you may know me as a regular attendee of Philip’s groups. Philip will be away for the next three weeks, so I’ll be filling in for him during this time slot (starting on Friday Oct 30).
I’ll be running a group studying Michel Foucault’s lecture series Psychiatric Power. There are three lectures in the middle of the series that I find absolutely fascinating, and we’ll work through one each week.
I’m looking forward to sharing these lectures with you all. They reveal a lovely niche of Foucault’s thought that, in my opinion, is neglected by commentators.
Best,
Alex
--------------------------------------------
Find the text here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jQdKU4YP1mhXc_qraSzyrPYFn6q0wvDJ/view?usp=drive_link
Reading Schedule
October 30th
- Lecture six, pages 123-142
Supplemental article on Hysteria:
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lbL7g6pL1BFrujszgTvbrkc0Mx_oP7NL/view?usp=sharing
November 6th
- Lecture seven, pages 143-171
November 13th
- Lecture eight, pages pages 174-199
Artwork: Spain Dream Revisited, Colin Middleton (1938)
--------------------------------------------
About the text (from the publisher):
In Psychiatric Power, the fourth volume in the collection of his groundbreaking lectures at the Collège de France, Michel Foucault addresses and expands upon the ideas in his seminal Madness and Civilization, sketching the genealogy of psychiatry and of its characteristic form of power/knowledge. Madness and Civilization undertook the archeology of the division according to which, in Western Society, the madman found himself separated from the sane. That book ends with the medicalization of madness at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Psychiatric Power continues this discourse up to the end of the nineteenth century, and the double "depsychiatrization" of madness, now dispersed between the neurologist and the psychoanalyst. Presented in a conversational tone, Psychiatric Power brings fresh access and light to the work of one of the past century's preeminent thinkers.
Upcoming events
570
Kant: Critique of Judgment (Week 5 – On Art and Genius)
·OnlineOnlineWe continue with Kant's Critiques, now onto the third which examines the beautiful, the sublime, and teleology as occasions where our senses are originally related to our understanding (judgment of taste), as well as how the understanding originally relates to reason (teleological judgment).
No prior experience with Kant is necessary.
This week's reading: §43 - 55 (182 - 212, 30 pages).
Meeting Link 2: Join with this link if you're about 1 hour late.
Note: Meetings focus on developing a common language and friendship through studying Kant. The host will provide an interpretation of Kant; other interpretations will not be discussed until later in the meeting. Additional interpretations, topics, and questions can be addressed through the Jitsi chat feature.
Reading Schedule (pages are from Cambridge edition):
Week 1 (39):
First Introduction (optional), Preface and Introduction (3 - 82, 79 pages)
(NOTE: the first introduction is not an editor or translator introduction, it is by Kant. It is sometimes at the end of the book.)Week 2 (40):
Book I - Analytic of the Beautiful (§1 - 23) (89 - 127, 38 pages)Week 3 (41):
Book II - Analytic of the Sublime (§23 - 30) (128 - 159, 31 pages)Week 4 (42):
§30 - 43 (160 - 182, 22 pages)Week 5 (43):
§43 - 55 (182 - 212, 30 pages)Week 6 (44):
The Dialectic of the Aesthetic Power of Judgment (§55 - 61) (213 - 230, 17 pages)Week 7 (45):
Analytic of the Teleological Power of Judgment (§61 - 69) (233 - 255, 22 pages)Week 8 (46):
Dialectic of the Teleological Power of Judgment (§69 - 79) (257 - 284, 27 pages)Week 9 (47):
Appendix §79 - 87 (285 - 313, 28 pages)Week 10 (48):
Appendix §87 - END (313 - 346, 33 pages)Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Critique-Power-Judgment-Cambridge-Immanuel/dp/0521348927?sr=8-1
PDF: https://nuevasteoriasdeljuiciopolitico.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/5343412b-47fd-4122-b7e9-b57cbddc1555.pdf
23 attendees
Kant FTΦ: Schiller’s Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man (Live Reading)
·OnlineOnlineIn Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment, we see vague suggestions on how aesthetic judgments contribute to culture. In Friedrich Schiller's letters, we can see a more developed argument on how aesthetic education is required to promote the freedom of the individual as well as transition us between a state of nature and a state ruled by reason.
Hopefully, this reading provides an opportunity to compare Kant's interest in how aesthetic judgments (and moral judgments themselves) contribute to culture with Schiller and expand our interpretation of both.
At this meeting we will be starting at Letter XXVII, paragraph 11.
I've linked the Penguin edition of the book here, but please feel free to use whatever edition you have or want.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Aesthetic-Education-Man-Friedrich-Schiller/dp/0141396962?sr=8-1
PDF: https://annas-archive.li/md5/22dcd586440cfd2d7ada034ca119db79
PDF (with facing German): https://annas-archive.li/md5/005de78cf1a714cc2c155ce569f670cf
Note: Kant FTΦ (Friends Through Philosophy) is a group of individuals who have connected over reading Kant (and other philosophers).
This meeting will focus on the interests of regular attendees. We will frequently reference Kant and other philosophers. Discussions may involve shared notions that have developed over time. If you are not a regular attendee and feel lost in the conversation, it may be a byproduct of being newer to the meetings: don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
10 attendees
The Divine Comedy / Dante Reading
·OnlineOnlineNOTE: For the safety of the group, members are required to join with their cameras on. Once admitted, they may turn their cameras off.
- The link will be posted just before our session.
- Once the lesson has started, we will no longer admit any members so we can focus on the lesson without interruptions.
📌 The Divine Comedy is more than a story — it’s a map of the inner self.
- It teaches about choices, responsibility, and consequences.
- It shows how struggle and self‑reflection can lead to growth and spiritual awakening.
- The journey mirrors our own personal transformation — confronting flaws, repenting, and aiming for higher understanding and compassion.
***
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (WE ARE CURRENTLY USING THIS SITE)
- https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/
- Dante Study Documents: I have shared a folder containing all the copies and materials I have prepared for our Dante sessions. New documents will be added:
- regularly.https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YZxvnwlqRM2oKZsqRd36n55p91LSyTKS?usp=share_link
## 🧍 Who Was Dante?
- Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) was a medieval Italian poet from Florence.
- He is considered one of the greatest writers in world literature and one of the founders of the Italian language.
***
## 🔥 What Is The Divine Comedy?
- A long epic poem written in terza rima (a special rhyming scheme) in the early 1300s.
- It describes a symbolic journey through the afterlife: Hell → Purgatory → Heaven.
- 🌍 What the Three Parts Represent
### 1. ⚫ Inferno (Hell)
- Dante travels through the nine circles of Hell guided by the Roman poet Virgil.
- Each circle punishes a different kind of sin.
- Theme: Recognizing the consequences of wrongdoing and human weaknesses.
### 2. 🔺 Purgatorio (Purgatory)
- Dante and Virgil climb the mountain of Purgatory, where souls purify themselves.
- It’s full of hope and change — sinners repent and grow.
- Theme: Transformation and self‑improvement.
### 3. ☀️ Paradiso (Heaven)
- Beatrice (Dante’s ideal guide of divine love) leads him through the celestial spheres.
- Dante encounters angels and blessed souls.
- Theme: Divine love, spiritual fulfillment, and union with God.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
- John Ciardi – (I HAVE PURCHASED THIS ONE). Best for a discussion group because it’s clear, accessible, and includes notes for each canto. Helps participants understand the meaning and context without getting lost in archaic language.
- Mandelbaum (20th c.) – Modern, poetic, complete. Very readable and preserves the literary quality. Good if the group wants more literary flavor ''after understanding the basics''.
- Longfellow (1867) – Historically respected, complete, but 19th-century English can be challenging.
## 📚 Links to the Book (Public Domain)
- ***1, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (WE ARE CURRENTLY USING THIS SITE)
- https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/
Full text - Project Gutenberg
📎 The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso – Project Gutenberg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800***This is another version of Project Gutenberg, but this edition also includes notes and explanations for each canto.
https://wyomingcatholic.edu/wp-content/uploads/dante-01-inferno.pdfLECTURES AND INTERESTINS WEBSITES:
A. Prof. Teodolinda Barolini is Lorenzo da Ponte Professor of Italian at Columbia University. You can listen to her AMAZING lectures. There are 54 videos and some are more than one hour. I will be listening at least one per week.
https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/the-dante-course/B. YALE UNIVERSITY LECTURE BY: GIUSEPPE MAZZOTTA
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD1450DFDA859F694C. This link has SEVERAL excellent sources:
https://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/extratextual-sources-for-studying-the-divine-comedy/D. Canto - Audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEDGsmkxv84&t=4s***
13 attendees
Past events
8354
