About us
Our main, but not only, meeting occurs after the regular
Saturday Melbourne Existentialist Society Meeting. Please also feel free to join the Melbourne Existentialst Society meeting from 2 pm AEST
https://www.meetup.com/existentialist-society/?eventOrigin=event_home_page
Life the Universe Street Philosophy commences at cessation of
The Melbourne Existentialist Society meeting
Last week, according to A.I -
The group engaged in philosophical discussions about democracy, technology, and consciousness, exploring various perspectives on voting, AI, and the nature of reality. They examined different philosophical concepts including idealism, materialism, and the existence of God, while also discussing the role of religious institutions in society and the factors contributing to happiness. The conversation concluded with analyses of political dynamics, particularly focusing on the United States, China, and India, along with discussions about religious abuse and international relations.
Some of the many topics we have discussed previously,
some of which I could almost follow, are -
The Id, Super Ego and Ego
Where did the laws of physics come from?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Does Truth exist independent of consciousness?
Hard problem of consciousness.
Conspiracy theories - is there a psychological profile of a habitual conspiracy Theorist.
Is it possible to have ojective Morality without a concept of God?
Definition of "Information"
How do we know how a particle behaves in an unobserved state if "unobserved" by definition means we don't blinking well see it?
Meaning of meaning in "what is the meaning of life?"
Definition of Language
Ship of Thesis - is the "thing" just a construct?
Tranendentalism
Determinism
Observer effect in quantum physics
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Is there a why to human existence?
Definition of experience.
Method of applying reason.
What does it mean to be "your authentic self?"
Idealism v Realism - ABSOLUTE TRUTH - What does that mean ? does it exist ? Ontology, how equipped are we to fathom the nature of things? HARD PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: WHERE DOES CONSCIOUSNESS ARISE?: DOES DNA TRANSLATE TO BEHAVIOUR?, IF SO HOW - definition of rationality - origins of "value" - precision of mathematics - concept of infinity.
Definition of Information
- where is the information in an un opened book, does it exist when unobserved?
Reason
- what is the definition of reason
does it exist in physical laws, i.e. if we can we say "the reason the rock fell is because of gravity"?, how is this different to "what is the reason she chose Pepsi max instead of Coke Zero?"
Validity of evolutionary psychology:
- what evidence is there for evolutionarily selected behaviour, given that we cannot observe the history of the emergence of neurological structures as we can observe evolutionarily selected anatomical changes?
Events in Philosophy Philosophy & Ethics
Philosophy of Mind Consciousness Existentialist Philosophy
Upcoming events
307
Sophia: The Goddess of Wisdom.
Carlton Library, 667 Rathdowne St, Carlton North, AU## SEA OF FAITH IN AUSTRALIA (SoFiA) - Melbourne.
In-Person Lecture/Discussion.
"Sophia: The Goddess of Wisdom."
Speaker: Barbara Jandric.
~ SoFiA promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and the search for meaning. They welcome ALL viewpoints, including Atheism.~
Enquiries: sofmelbourne@gmail.com
SOFiA Website.
Facebook: 'Sofiatalk' - Please join their ongoing discussions.3 attendees
ORLANDO STOICS - VARIOUS TOPICS
·OnlineOnlinePLEASE JOIN ORLANDO STOICS VIA LINK BELOW FOR FULL WEEKLY EVENT SCHEDULE
https://www.meetup.com/orlando-stoics/
Welcome to Orlando Stoics! We are a very active group, with over 3,800 members and five meetings a week. Some meetings are held online, while others are in-person. All classes are free.
What is Stoicism? It's an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded in Athens about 300 BC. The first teacher was Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue (the highest good) is based on knowledge, and that wise people live in harmony with nature. The school also taught tolerance and self-control. Famous Stoics were Seneca the Younger, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. We also study modern Stoics.
Why Stoicism? In our world of instant gratification, constant stimulation, and endless distractions, Stoicism offers a novel perspective on life. Interested in developing an unconquerable mind? Stoicism has the answers. We also link ideas to Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Existentialism, Minimalism, and other "lived philosophy" systems. We love in-depth discussions!
If you join our group, feel free to adjust the email and notification settings to suit your preferences. Since we have new meetings every week, those emails might be too much for your inbox. Feel free to turn them off (go to our meetup page, click "You're a Member", and then click group notifications). You can still check our meetup page for upcoming events whenever you want.
The goals of our group:
1. We read the ancient books, plus the modern books on Stoicism.
2. We discuss Stoicism in the media, pop culture, and arts & literature.
3. We compare recurring themes in Stoicism to history, religion, and psychology.There have always been people attracted to Stoicism. It was a significant influence on Shakespeare, JD Salinger, Tom Wolfe, and Nelson Mandela. It has also attracted political and military leaders, such as Frederick the Great, President Bill Clinton, and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who stated that he has read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations over 100 times.
We hope you will join us. The group is open to the public and has no subscription fee. Stoicism can help you cope with life's stresses, while retaining your ethics & character.
We hope to see you soon!
1 attendee
It's All About the Metanoia!
·OnlineOnlineSEA OF FAITH IN AUSTRALIA (SoFiA) - Melbourne.
Some of us are participating in SoFiA's online event."IT’S ALL ABOUT THE METANOIA!"
Fergus McGinley will present the topic and lead the discussion.
~ Regardless of your faith persuasion, there’s one thing we can probably all agree on: the fundamental cause of all human problems - everything from little children not playing nicely in the playground, to climate change and the threat of nuclear conflict - is people behaving selfishly, putting their self-interest before the good of others and the world. Our most urgent need must surely be, therefore, to learn how to cooperate selflessly together - something that, as history attests, doesn’t come naturally to us!
Metanoia is the word we’re looking for: the transformation, for each of us individually and for our species collectively, from our natural-born state of self-centredness to a very unnatural state of selflessness. In fact, Metanoia has always been the central concern of historical religion, as evidenced in, for example, the Mosaic Law, the Dreaming stories of Australian Aboriginal religion, or the Eight-fold Path of Buddhism.
My talk will focus on prospects of Metanoia for the human race. ~BIO: Fergus McGinley is an Adelaide writer and teacher with a background in science, philosophy, education and theology.
He is the author of many essays and articles, and his recent book is The God Who Doesn’t Exist, ATF Press (2025).
Fergus's work aims to synthesize insights from parenting, education, theoretical physics, evolutionary theory, philosophy, psychology, comparative religion, biblical exegesis and political theory, into a new, post-religious understanding of God - if there turns out to be one! You can find background reading for this presentation at: It's all about the MetanoiaThe ZOOM LINK will appear on this page for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 811 2760 3504 - - Passcode: 103077
Don't be deterred if you are late;
join the event at any time.~ SoFiA promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and the search for meaning. They welcome ALL viewpoints, including Atheism.~
SOFiA Website.
Facebook: 'Sofiatalk' - Please join their ongoing discussions.3 attendees
Past events
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