Comic Book Clubs Sydney

Should Billionaires Exist? The Case Against Extreme Wealth

Is it possible to be too rich? We often celebrate the super-rich as great innovators and heroes of industry — but what if their very existence is making the world less fair and less free? This March, the Big Ideas Book Club takes on a deliberately provocative claim: that billionaires shouldn't exist. It's a radical idea, but one worth examining carefully. The book we'll be discussing argues that this claim isn't driven by envy, but by evidence that extreme wealth undermines democracy, accelerates climate breakdown, rests far more on luck than merit, and diverts resources desperately needed to meet urgent collective challenges. Even if you instinctively disagree, the case is serious, evidence-based, and challenges common assumptions. Join us for a thoughtful, open discussion about wealth, power, and where we might draw the line — and if any billionaires come along, please feel free to buy a round of drinks for the group! **Book: *Limitarianism – The Case Against Extreme Wealth* (2024) by Ingrid Robeyns** In this month's book, Ingrid Robeyns, a professor of political philosophy and ethics at Utrecht University, builds a case that's both philosophically rigorous and grounded in real-world evidence. She examines how massive fortunes are accumulated—often through inheritance, luck, and public infrastructure rather than individual merit alone—and traces the consequences of that concentration through democratic institutions, climate policy, and social cohesion. Robeyns doesn't just critique; she proposes concrete alternatives, including what a "riches line" (the upper limit on personal wealth) might look like and how such a system could work in practice. Whether you're curious about the ethics of billionaire philanthropy, sceptical about wealth taxes, or wondering how extreme inequality affects everyone (including the super-rich themselves), this book offers a framework for thinking through questions that usually go unexamined. It's written for general readers, not academics, making complex ideas accessible without dumbing them down. As always, we strongly encourage you to read the book before attending. Having read it will enrich both your experience and our collective discussion. We’ve also put links below to further resources on the topic. So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 2nd March, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. We look forward to seeing you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to others, especially if there is a waitlist. P.P.S. Please adjust your email notification settings (particularly the 'Event updates from organizers' in the Big Ideas Book Club settings). This is useful for receiving any final details or late changes to the event. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Audio-Visual** * Presentations and interviews with Robeyns: [A Short Webinar Presentation (first 20mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8vN-QREfxE) [Gresham College Presentation (1hr)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_3AiIvDw7A&t=592s) [USA Today Interview (15mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VJ86eI3SMQ) [Novara Media Interview (1hr)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JltQ7P85S1c&t=4s) * Other explainer videos on the problems on extreme wealth: [Robert Reich - Should We Abolish Billionaires?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNvSg7TJBbs) [A short explainer video of Limitarianism (2mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZd9yZPZ48) [Why billionaires should be ILLEGAL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu1kYmRIJ4U&t=780s) **Written** * Summaries of the book: [SoBrief Summary](https://sobrief.com/books/limitarianism) [Article by Robeyns](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/2024/03/13/limitarianism-the-case-for-capping-personal-wealth/) * Book Reviews: [The Guardian ](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/21/how-much-personal-wealth-is-enough-ingrid-robeyns-limitarianism) [Stewart Lansley Book Review](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2024/02/08/book-review-limitarianism-the-case-against-extreme-wealth-ingrid-robeyns/) [Erasmus Journal Book Review](https://ejpe.org/journal/article/download/871/703/2360) * George Monbiot Guardian article: “At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich”: [George Monbiot on politicians’ surrender to super rich](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/super-rich-inequality-politicians-extreme-wealth)

Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker

PLEASE NOTE: AT THE REQUEST OF THE SHAKESPEARE HOTEL, we are not meeting on the usual first Thursday of the month, as it clashes with a football event. So, we are meeting on the first Tuesday of this month. Meeting at the usual place, the Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills (Upstairs), we will be discussing the ultimate vampire novel, Dracula. Rather than a simple narration, the novel is written by bringing together a number of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. It speaks of an ancient and aristocratic Romanian Count, Count Dracula. The novel begins with Jonathan Harker, a solicitor's clerk who travels from England to Transylvania to finalize a real estate deal for the Count. He stays overnight in the Count's castle, and then realises that he is a prisoner, and that Dracula isn't quite normal. Dracula subsequently travels to England where he preys on Lucy Westenra, who herself becomes a vampire. Can vampire expert, Professor Van Helsing, save the day? AI tells me this book is about 400 pages long. The type of book where I find it helps to make a written note of the names of the characters while reading. The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a fairly focused way for about an hour, and then the meeting formally ends. People tend to stay around to talk more about the book or anything else.

February Books and Bevvies

**Welcome to the very first Books & Bevvies** — a casual book swap + drinks social in the Sydney CBD. This is *not* a book club with homework. It’s a simple, low-key way to meet people, chat about what you’ve been reading, and walk out with something new. **How it works** * Bring 1–2 books you’re happy to part with * Pop them on the swap table when you arrive * Mingle, chat, and swap recommendations * When the swap opens, take up to the number of books you brought * Stay for a drink and a conversation after **What to bring** * 1–2 books (any genre, any reading level) **Good to know** * All genres and reading levels are welcome * No fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue **Where we’ll be** We’ll be in the **Market Street Garden Bar**, with a table full of books and bevvies.

Book Club - "Butter" by Asako Yuzuki

Australia: A History by Tony Abbott

Meeting at the usual place, upstairs at the The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, on Thursday 26 February 2026 at 7.00pm, we will be discussing *Australia: A History by Tony Abbott.* So-called 'Australia' consisted of 100s of sovereign Indigenous nations living in sophisticated harmony with the land. British colonisation was a brutal white imperialist project to make Aboriginals the 'Other' as an excuse for stealing their land. The genocidal project of oppression didn't stop with the First Nations, but branched out to include other minorities (such as the Irish) and continues today in the form of widespread Islamophobia. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. Tony Abbott would disagree. *Australia: A History*, is a book that Abbott says should never need to have been written. Once it was assumed that the basics of Australian history were known in a more or less balanced way, but that is no longer the case. Australia has made mistakes but, overall, it is a remarkable success story. Something of which to be proud. The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a fairly focused way for an hour. The meeting formally ends and most people stay back to chat about the book or anything else. Dissenting opinions are given a lot of space. See Comments below for critical reviews of the book.

Stoics by the beach Reading and Discussion Group

Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Currently reading SENECA: Moral Letters to Lucia. [FULL-TEXT](https://share.google/Z42vWv15YbKmJZkU7): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45109/45109-h/45109-h.htm No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | Sun 1 Mar 2026

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | Sat 7 Mar 2026

Fundraiser for the Women’s Library - food,music and fabulous women!

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Meeting at the usual place, upstairs at The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, at 7.00pm, on Thursday 2 April 2026, we will be discussing Fathers and Sons (1862) by Ivan Turgenev, The novel is about the homecoming of Arkady and his friend Bazarov. Bazarov is a young nihilist who rebels against the old, rejects all authority and hates sentimentalism. He represents the growing intellectual rift between the romanticist "fathers" of the 1840s and the revolutionary "sons" of the 1860s. As the young men visit various estates, Bazarov finds his contempt for the status quo and his cold logic challenged by his sudden love for a woman - and a wealthy one at that. The novel explores the inevitable clash of generations, the limitations of scientific rationalism, and the shifting social landscape of a Russia on the brink of profound reform. As a writer, Turgenev has been praised by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Joseph Conrad and Hemingway. The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a fairly focused way for about an hour. Then the meeting ends. Almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book or other things bookish.

The Epic of Gilgamesh (c.2100-1200BCE)

Sex, violence and death - the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest story in the world. Our first meeting will start auspiciously with the standard Babylonian version of the epic, dating from roughly 1300-1000BCE, also known as 'He Who Saw the Deep.' Multiple translations exist but I advise you read the Penguin edition translated by Andrew George as it includes summaries of each tablet that help make the story, with its many fragments, easier to follow. It's available in bookshops, the library and you can email me at jack.malone67@gmail.com if you need a digital copy. It's also free on https://sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/index.htm, but this translation is very archaic and not recommended for first-time readers. The full text is less than 100 pages and summaries are readily available, so if you're interested in this event and worry you don't have time to read it all - don't worry, just dive in! This is not a formal, scholarly meeting - if you've been studying Akkadian for decades, great - if you know nothing at all about Gilgamesh other than a vague understanding that he was supposedly a cool guy, that's great too. We'll be meeting upstairs in the Shakespeare Hotel, and welcome drinkers and non-drinkers alike. If this event is marked 'full', please just email me if you're interested in coming - Meetup limits the amount of attendees, but I'm sure we can fit you in!

Manhood by Josh Hawley

Meeting at the usual place, the Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, at 7pm on the last Thursday of the month, 26 March 2026, we will be discussing Manhood by Josh Hawley. Is the re-assertion of masculine values essential for the future of Western Civilization, or just a bunch of sexist crap? Missouri Senator Josh Hawley argues that the character of men and male virtue is an essential ingredient for any functioning society. Men have become lost because of fatherlessness, pornography, and video games. Healthy masculinity is discouraged, by everything from the welfare state to the American Psychological Association. The author encourages men to take up the values of the Bible, and to avoid the toxic masculinity of Fight Club and Andrew Tate. The author is a conservative right-wing religious Christian. Many roll their eyes at the idea - but how many of us have actually read what these people have to say? Available from the usual places. Contact me for a free pdf copy at dalemills@cantab.net We are a book discussion group, so opinions in favour and against the book are welcome and encouraged. Where everyone agrees, the facilitator (Dale) will play Devil's Advocate. If you know my opinion of the book in the first 40 minutes of discussion, I have not succeeded as a facilitator. The usual format is that we talk about the book as a group in a focused way for about 45 mins, and then the meeting formally ends. Almost everyone then stays back for further discussion. We have a shortage of suggestions. So do suggest future books.