What we’re about
We're a community fostering friendship and insights by engaging in thoughtful discussions on significant concepts discovered from reading books and intellectual consumption.
Read our FAQ
Upcoming events
45
Aristotle's Metaphysics (week 6)
Farm.One, 625 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238, New York, NY, USJoin us for weekly discussions of Aristotle's incredibly influential musings on substance, causation, hylomorphism, and other fun abstractions.
Reading for this meeting: Books VIII (Eta) and IX (Theta)
Make sure to come having already read this as well as the preceding books of the Metaphysics. The focus of this meeting is to help each other understand Aristotle's text and its main arguments, so please try to avoid bringing up other ideas if they are not to that end. Feel free to talk about whatever you want after the official meeting time ends.
I'll be reading the 1999 translation by Joe Sachs. Feel free to use any translation or edition—comparing differing translations can help with getting a feel for the meanings of terms in the original Greek. There are several versions for free online, including this one.
We'll be meeting at Farm.One, which a brewery and indoor farm in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
This event is free, but we're still sort of socially obligated to purchase something (need not be alcohol), and Farm.One is a cool place that we should support! The space is also a quiet cafe between 10am and 12pm, so get there early if you prefer coffee to beer (and maybe to finish up the reading)!10 attendees
Reading Schopenhauer: The World as Will and Representation
·OnlineOnlineNote:
This group is currently underway. I have closed it for RSVP for now. I may open it in the future if we need more attendees.
------
Hi Folks,
Please join us for a slow and close reading of Arthur Schopenhauer’s magnum opus, The World as Will and Representation.
Schopenhauer is incredibly important as:
- One of the first major Western philosophers to deeply integrate Eastern ideas (after studying the Upanishads and Buddhist thought)
- One of the earliest Western philosophers to build a comprehensive atheistic worldview
- A major critic of Kantian philosophy, reshaping Kant’s “thing-in-itself” into his own concept of the Will
- An outspoken opponent of Hegel, his contemporary and rival professor at the University of Berlin
- The primary philosophical influence on Nietzsche, who regarded Schopenhauer as his great educator
Schopenhauer introduces the Will as the thing-in-itself — the inner reality underlying all appearances. His metaphysics explores how human desire drives suffering, and how we can transcend it through compassion, selflessness, and creative expression, especially through art.
### 📖 Apply to Join
This text is challenging but rewarding. To get the most out of it, you’ll need:
- Some background in Kantian philosophy (especially the principle of sufficient reason, the phenomenal / noumenal divide and Kant's "architectonic"); familiarity with Eastern thought is a plus
- The ability to closely read and interpret complex philosophical arguments
- The communication and social skills to express ideas clearly in discussion
You can apply to join by first RSVP'ing to this event, then filling out the Google Form survey linked on this event's location page — I’ll review responses personally.
### 📚 Reading & Participation
We’ll read this text slowly and carefully, around 20 pages per week for about six months — over the colder months, as Schopenhauer would have wanted! It's not a live reading, so you'll need to spend the hour or so reading in advance of attending, this is a must.
We’ll be reading Volume 1 of his work. I’ll be using the Cambridge edition, and you can find a tentative schedule linked here.
We will also decide a lot of things, also if people can join mid way through, by voting with the existing group.
### 💬 Discussion Format
Our FAQ outlines how we generally run these sessions. Depending on group size, we may adjust — for example, adding breakout groups or rotating discussion leaders. If you’re interested in co-hosting, please reach out — that would be wonderful. Importantly I am not teaching this material, we are co-travelers exploring it together.
### 📬 Contact Us
Have questions or feedback? Reach out via our Meetup message to me.
I’m genuinely excited to read this with you. I’ve read some Schopenhauer before and listened to this work on audiobook, but I believe a real, close read together will be transformative.
Kind Regards,
Ryan3 attendees
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue, New York, NY, USWe will round out our deep dive into existentialism by reading Sartre's first novel Nausea. In this book, Sartre lays out the deep concerns of existentialist thinkers through the diary entries of Antoine Roquentin, a disillusioned intellectual, becoming increasingly alienated from society, who describes this devolution building towards a persistent nausea. Join us as we appreciate the beauty of this novel as well as discuss the existentialist themes depicted within.
Participants should read the entire reading before attending this in person meeting. I will be reading from this version here and a free copy can be found here. We will read the entire book for this week (p.1-178). ***We will meet in the Seahorse Classroom for this week***
For questions please send me a message or post to meetup.
Best,
Brian35 attendees
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (week 1)
Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue, New York, NY, USThus Spoke Zarathustra is a masterpiece of philosophy, literature, and poetic expression, offering one of the most radical critiques of morality, religion, and human existence. Written between 1883 and 1885, this work follows the fictional prophet Zarathustra as he descends from his solitude in the mountains to share his revolutionary teachings with humanity. Through allegorical storytelling, Nietzsche explores profound philosophical concepts such as the Übermensch (Overman), the eternal recurrence, the will to power, and the death of God.
Join us to discuss this classic book over the course of 5-weeks!
Week 1 Sat 1/24 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 2 Sat 1/30 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 3 Sat 2/7 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse Room @ Pier 57
Week 4 Sat 2/14 12:30pm-2:30pm The Oyster Room @ Pier 57
Week 5 Sat 2/21 12:30pm-2:30pm The Seahorse @ Pier 57
Reading for Week 1
Part 1 ( 76 pages)
I will be reading the Walter Kaufmann translation from The Portable Nietzsche available here
free pdf download here *click on the first slow download option
(other formats available too —epub & mobi for kindle—just search in search bar)
Rules for Our Group
1. Be Courteous
Respectful disagreement is totally acceptable; Condescension is not.
2. Be Concise
Keep comments brief, on topic, and allow space for others to join in.
3. Do the Reading
If you have not done the reading for the week you are welcome to attend and listen to the discussion, but out of respect for those who have read, you will not be permitted to participate in the discussion.
Finally, Please update your RSVP if you are no longer able to attend the event.
- inaccurate RSVPs make it difficult for coordinators to plan successful events
- inaccurate RSVPs prevent waitlisted individuals from attending
*Multiple no shows may result in losing RSVP privileges for future events.
For more info and FAQ on the group click here.
Can't wait to discuss these ideas with all of you!
-Zach45 attendees
Past events
857
