About us
Join us if you're interested in philosophy, literature, film, and socializing. This group will be for people who want to talk about books and movies that explore life's big questions. We won't presuppose any definite answers. It's more about the journey than the destination.
We will have regular meetups with different formats. Once a month we will meet to discuss a book or selection from a book. Readings will vary widely, ranging from ancient philosophy and literature to contemporary fiction and nonfiction. Each month, we will also have social gatherings, film outings, and open discussion meetups.
Upcoming events
6
Utopia by Thomas More (Close Reading)
Amélie's French Bakery & Café | Park Road, 4321 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC, USThe Oxford English Dictionary defines utopia as “An imagined or hypothetical place, system, or state of existence in which everything is perfect, esp. in respect of social structure, laws, and politics.” This term, now used in common parlance, was first used by Thomas More in his highly influential text where he dreams of a society free from the grievances of his social reality. Although the properties of an “ideal” society have been debated and defined for millennia, Utopia remains one of the most controversial and provocative texts of moral and political philosophy to this day. Was Thomas More writing satirically, sincerely, or somewhere in between? How was his writing influenced by his era of history? What can we salvage for our own lives?
Join us to wrestle with these questions and more in our close reading of the text. We encourage you to read this short, often humorous, philosophical work (just over 100 pages!) which is linked below. If you would like to do some optional supplemental reading, we will also briefly discuss China Mieville’s introduction to the work, “The Limits of Utopia,” which examines the utopian ideal in relation to the current threat of environmental collapse.
Resources:
Utopia by Thomas More (Free ebook in multiple formats): https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2130Additional formats–
Free Audiobook on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EtVh6PzhDo&list=PLem69QzJ9ze-1csFJxAf8-b6k3Iw_Q-wR
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (physical copy): http://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S235C372129The copy the moderator will be using from Verso (physical or ebook):
https://www.versobooks.com/products/344-utopia?srsltid=AfmBOoquvrsJszsXJqjpXHCYPVVYpnBEwI_euIx78ul1IUWdLSorfO9EOptional Reading:
“The Limits of Utopia” by China Mieville (free online article): https://climateandcapitalism.com/2018/03/02/china-mieville-the-limits-of-utopia/15 attendees
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? A Michael Sandel Discussion.
Amélie's French Bakery & Café | Park Road, 4321 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC, USWe revisit Michal Sandel and his “Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?” which is a great introduction to moral and political philosophy through the use of real-world dilemmas. Drawing on debates between utilitarianism, libertarianism, and theories of justice, he invites readers and viewers to reason about fairness, rights, and the common good, modeling philosophy as a shared civic practice rather than an abstract academic exercise.
Michael Sandel is an American political philosopher and long-time Harvard professor best known for bringing moral and political philosophy to broad public audiences. A leading critic of unfettered market reasoning and meritocratic hubris, his work examines how moral values should shape public life. Sandel is also known for the books “What Money Can't Buy” and “The Tyranny of Merit,” which challenge the moral limits of markets and question the social consequences of merit-based ideals.
Join us for this discussion about Justice in the modern world. All are welcome and no reading is required!
Optional: Listen to the Justice Series here.
15 attendees
Twin Peaks S1E1 at The Independent Picture House
The Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh Street ,, Charlotte, NC, USGrab a damn fine cup of coffee and cue the music.
Join us at The Independent Picture House for a screening of the first episode of David Lynch and Mark Frost's groundbreaking television series, Twin Peaks, on Saturday March 21st. The screening starts at 11:00 am.
Tickets can be purchased here.
IPH is also offering a Series Pass for Twin Peaks: The Complete Series, should you want to watch all of it in a theatre, for $150 here.Select episodes along with 1992's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and 2014's Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces will be posted here as showtimes become available for group viewings.
Seating at IPH is first come, first served. If you have a seating preference, please plan to arrive early. Those who arrive early usually gather in the lobby before seating for the screening starts.
After the episode ends, those with availability may hang out for a bit (somewhere nearby) to discuss the episode and socialize.
15 attendees
Hannah Arendt: Personal Responsibility under Dictatorship (Bonus Close Reading)
Amélie's French Bakery & Café | Park Road, 4321 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC, USIn the chapter titled, “Personal Responsibility under Dictatorship,” from Hannah Arendt’s Responsibility and Justice, she confronts one of the most troubling moral questions of the twentieth century: what does it mean to remain morally responsible when living under a tyrannical regime? Writing in the shadow of Nazi totalitarianism and drawing on her broader reflections about authority, judgment, and evil, Arendt challenges the comforting assumption that individuals are absolved of responsibility when they are “just following orders.” Instead, she argues that even under extreme political coercion, individuals retain the capacity—and therefore the burden—of moral judgment.
In this essay, Arendt explores the tension between obedience and conscience, legality and morality, and private complicity versus public action. She asks whether ordinary people can excuse their actions by appealing to social norms or state authority, and she scrutinizes the psychological and political mechanisms that allow wrongdoing to become normalized. Rather than portraying evil as monstrous or exceptional, Arendt suggests that it can arise from thoughtlessness—a failure to critically examine one’s own participation in unjust systems.
Please join us in a close reading of this sample of Hannah Arendt’s work. All are welcome!
15 attendees
Past events
104
