What we’re about
"Truth springs from argument amongst friends"
We are a discussion group of friendly and intelligent people who enjoy wrestling with and studying philosophical topics.
Promoting exchange through examination and reasoned argument, expect to justify, critique, be critiqued and engage analytically with the ideas of others.
Interested to attend?
We hope you will join us all for future discussions.
RULES
In order to maximise the respect, enjoyment and engagement of all the members of the group, which request that you:
- read all relevant material for a discussion prior to a meeting;
- if you are not already familiar with the subject of philosophy, please try to familiarise yourself with a general background in philosophy by reading some general introductions;
- be considerate to others during our discussions.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Becoming a Prophetic Witness – The future of the Humanities and of Knowledge!The Grapes, Bath
Becoming a Prophetic Witness – The future of the Humanities and of Knowledge!
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us ‘Universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein
This discussion is the second (of two) based on The Flip, by Jeffrey Kripal; specifically Chapter 5, p.170 - p.189. It is not necessary that you attended the first session (it helps, but not essential), as this discussion is somewhat self-contained.
During the first session (16 April) we discussed 5 alternative hypotheses to the generally-accepted world-view of materialism, i.e. that material is fundamental, and that consciousness arises from dead-matter. All 5 alternatives, to varying degrees, proposed that consciousness could be prior to material, or at least on a level-footing with it. The point Kripal was making is that each hypothetical model might help overcome the main problem of materialism i.e. that it is also a hypothetical model, which cannot be “proved”.
In this session we will discuss Kripal’s proposed, or imagined, “skills”, which (depending on which way you look at it) will either Flip us all (away from materialism) or make the world a better place without any Flipping required.
Attached is a short document (30-minutes reading) which sums up the relevant points for this discussion. There is an introductory (scene-setting) section followed by five sections, each dealing with a different “Skill”. Kripal imagines that if we all (individuals, nations, humankind) adapt these skills, the world will become a better place, and might even survive our destruction of it.
Please read attached document here
Make space to read the paper. Relax, but focus. I have embedded lots of questions and posers, that encourage you to think as you read; I suggest you make notes of the points which most interest you, or ire you, and bring them to the discussion. It’s not an exam! It’s an exploration.
‘an engagement with the humanities in systematically careful and rational ways – that is, through public and private education – remains the best way to translate the Flip into sustainable social, political, moral, and economic forms.’
Prof Kripal is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, at Rice University, Houston, Texas.
