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+)
See all- Short Meditation then ChatLink visible for attendees
This is a secular group but we do a short meditation via Buddhist monk Professor B Alan Wallace then we discuss the monkey mind etc.
You can just listen in, don't have to share.
Excellent free resources
https://soundcloud.com/emotionalbalance/sets/alan-wallace-guided-practices
https://dynamic.wakingup.com/shareOpenAccess/SC3D92926?share_id=440D041D
https://beherenownetwork.com/joseph-goldstein-insight-hour-ep-216-satipatthana-sutta-series-pt-13-mindfulness-of-mind/
excellent resources here with weekly group lessons
https://member.coreyjackson.com.au/share/ZYZLarLoPH8Fu3Ak?utm_source=manual - Medieval Civilization: Millennia in Microcosm Week 152Link visible for attendees
Join us for an exploration of Kenneth Smith’s analysis of hamartia, the tragic flaw that turns intelligence against itself. In this session, we’ll examine how early Christianity redefined sin—not as mere wrongdoing, but as a profound misjudgment rooted in ego and blindness to the essential. Drawing from Greek tragedy, Smith presents Oedipus as the ultimate case of hamartia in extremis: a man who mistakes his cleverness for insight and brings ruin upon himself despite every warning. Through this lens, sin becomes not just moral failure but a spiritual pathology—a corruption of perception, of self-awareness, of the soul’s capacity to recognize what truly matters. We’ll discuss how this tragic blindness speaks not only to individuals, but to cultures that exalt ego over wisdom and mistake fragmentation for strength.
C: Selfless Love and The Encompassing https://kennethsmithphilosophy.com/end07.php - Jonathan Schaffer | The Priority of the Whole, Part 2Link visible for attendees
Reading for this Meeting: LINK
Join our newsletter: By simply adding your email to our form, you'll be subscribed to P&G's weekly philosophy reading materials: LINK
Our Discord Group: LINK
We'll have a review of the paper so far at the beginning of the meeting.
Is the universe built from the bottom up, or is the whole damn thing more than the sum of its parts?
This week we dive into Jonathan Schaffer’s bold claim that the cosmos—the entire universe—is the one and only fundamental thing. Forget atoms, particles, and Lego-block metaphysics. Schaffer says all the little stuff is just dependent noise dangling from the real deal: the whole. This view, called monism, flips the usual script in metaphysics.
We'll explore:- Why Schaffer thinks parts are overrated
- How quantum entanglement supports monism
- Whether emergence works one way only
- And what it means if the universe is one big inseparable unit
Come ready to challenge your assumptions. Are you a partist or a wholist? Let’s find out.
No prior knowledge required, but bring your brain.
