About us
In ancient Greece, the Agora was a place where people gathered to exchange ideas, host performances, and engage with their community. Inspired by this tradition, our group is a space for thoughtful conversation, shared experiences, and intellectual adventure.
Whether we're discussing philosophy, cooking a meal together, exploring museums, or traveling to new places, Agora is about connection—with each other and with the world around us. This is a community powered by the people who show up, and everyone's voice helps shape what we create together. If you enjoy deep conversations, meaningful experiences, and the company of inquisitive minds, join us as we create our own modern-day Agora.
Agora isn't just another discussion to join or event to attend—it's an invitation to explore what might be possible for ourselves and the world around us.
REQUIREMENTS
No credentials are needed—just a willingness to share your experiences and ideas and to learn from others. This means listening respectfully even when you disagree, and being mindful not to dominate the conversation. Our goal is to create a supportive, engaging environment where everyone feels heard.
NOTE ON ATTENDANCE
If you need to cancel, please do so as soon as possible to be respectful of the organizer and others who wish to participate. Repeated cancellations or no-shows may result in being moved to the waitlist for future events, with attendance depending on whether spots open up. If you're on the waitlist, keep an eye out—spaces may become available at the last minute!
FEEDBACK
All feedback is welcome, and the organizer checks messages regularly. Agora belongs to its participants as much as it does to the organizer, and the goal is for it to grow into something shaped and co-created by its regular members. If you enjoy your experience and feel inspired, we’d love for you to take part in shaping future events—whether that’s hosting a discussion, organizing a hike, cooking a meal together, planning a trip, or bringing new ideas to the table. If you have something to offer or would like to get involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Upcoming events
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Sunday Reading Circle: Plato on Love
Svobodova 11, Svobodova 135/11, Prague, CZIn this series of meetings, we'll come together to read and discuss some of the greatest texts and essays from the fields of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: from the Nobel laureates, famous philosophers, both ancient and modern, and influential political theorists.
No academic background is required! Anyone is welcome – as long as you've read the text in advance ;)
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For the February – and St Valentine’s – edition of the Reading Circle, let’s read the most famous book ever written about love: Plato’s Symposium 🧡
The Symposium consists of seven speeches on the nature of love, delivered by different guests at a drinking party. Among the most memorable are Pausanias’ speech, which introduces the idea of Platonic love; Aristophanes’ comic yet profound myth, in which humans were once whole beings split in two by Zeus, and love is the longing to reunite with our lost half; and Socrates’ speech, in which he presents Diotima’s Theory of Ascent (also known as the Ladder of Love), describing love as a drive toward immortality through the pursuit of the good and the beautiful. The dialogue concludes with the drunken entrance of Alcibiades, who delivers a passionate confession of his unreciprocated love for Socrates.
The Symposium is remarkable not only for its philosophical depth, but also for its boldness: it discusses Eros, beauty, homosexuality, desire, myth, and even hermaphroditic beings, combining poetry, comedy, and philosophy into a timeless meditation on love.
Join us to discuss!
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Since the full dialogue is about 70 pages long, let’s focus on the key sections.
In the Oxford World’s Classics edition linked below (translation by Robin Waterfield), I recommend reading the Introduction (around 30 pages), which is very insightful and makes the dialogue much easier to follow.
As a core text, let’s read Socrates’ main speech (through Diotima), found in paragraphs 201d–212d, which presents the dialogue’s central philosophical argument. In addition, feel free to choose a few other speeches that interest you. We can go through them one by one and, ideally, cover all of them together during the discussion.
For reference: Phaedrus speaks in 178a–180b, Pausanias in 180c–185c, Eryximachus in 185c–188e, Aristophanes in 189a–193d, Agathon in 193d–197e, Socrates (through Diotima) in 201d–212d, and Alcibiades in 212d–222b.
Link:
https://archive.org/details/symposium0000plat_j5o4/You may need to register and click ‘Borrow’ to access the full version of the book.
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Location: this time we’ll meet at our friend’s home near Vyšehrad. The address is Svobodova 135/11. Ring the doorbell with the name ‘Rud’. Sometimes the door can be a bit tricky, so if it doesn’t open, just ring again or drop me a message. Go to the second floor and turn left from the staircase.
Meeting structure: each session will begin with a brief summary of the key ideas from the reading, followed by open discussion.
Please read the text in advance, make highlights, and write down any thoughts or questions that you find especially interesting and compelling.
Knowledge Will Break the Chains of Slavery
Veritas Vos Liberabit ✊15 attendees
Literary Reading Circle: “A Visit” by Steven Millhauser
Cafedu, Škrétova 490/12, Prague, CZFrom one of the masters of contemporary American magical realism, this story is a highly original and surprising tale of a man visiting an old friend and his surprise at who (or what) he finds out his new wife is.
We will meet and discuss our reactions/interpretations.
The story is too new to have a free versions online but I will provide a pdf access in a few days. You can listen to the story here plus it includes some discussion.
12 attendees
Past events
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