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We're a community fostering friendship and insights by engaging in thoughtful discussions on significant concepts discovered from reading books and intellectual consumption.
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See all- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Marx's Capital (week 4)Fort Greene Park Prison Ship Martyrs’s Monument , Brooklyn , NY
Join us at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn to discuss the first volume of Karl Marx's critique of political economy, Das Kapital.
Reading for this meeting:
Chapter 4 "The Transformation of Money into Capital"You'll probably want to read the book up to this point too if you want it to make sense.
I'm reading the new translation by Paul Reitter, but feel free to read any translation or edition. The full PDF of the Penguin edition can be found here.
We will plan on meeting in the shady area just southwest of the giant column in the middle of the park. Check this page for location updates and message me or comment if you can't find us!
- Plutarch Parallel Lives: BrutusLink visible for attendees
It is unfortunate when a person becomes famous for an assassination.
However there is much more to Brutus and we will find out about him from Plutarch.
Marcus Junius Brutus (c. 85 BCE – 42 BCE) was a staunch supporter of the Roman Republic, he vehemently opposed the concentration of power in the hands of a single ruler. Despite his close personal and political relationship with Caesar, he joined the conspiracy to kill him, believing it was necessary to preserve Rome’s republican institutions. Brutus was admired for his intellect and integrity by many of his contemporaries, and his actions sparked a civil war that ultimately led to the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.We will be referencing this reading
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Brutus*.html
comparison with Dion:
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Dion+Brutus*.htmlHis biography is also written in "Age of Caesar" published by Penguin
This is a reading group in which we read from Plutarch's Parallel Lives about the virtues and faults of great leaders from ancient Greece and Rome. At the end of each life, we rate them for their leadership quality, virtues, entertaining reading, and legacy.
For our leader scoreboard, check out this Google doc:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K66HPHPO_elctuHjCLAWnv5w_3HCY8YbxEK4SgCa_Gg/edit#gid=0For questions please send me a message or post to meetup.
Zita - Against Method by Paul Feyerabend Week 2Pier 57, New York, NY
For this four week event we will continue our critical analysis of the history and philosophy of science by diving into Against Method by Paul Feyerabend. Famously critical of Kuhn's work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions for being to conservative in its critique of science, Feyerabend aims to examine the assumptions at the base of scientific practice in order to knock science off of it pedestal. Join us as we challenge our deeply held assumptions in order to form a deeper understanding of science in our postmodern world. I will be reading from this version and a free copy can be found here. For the second week we will read chapters 8-14 (p. 74-147). Participants should read the entire reading before attending this in person meeting. For questions please send me a message or post to meetup.
Best,
Brian
- What Is Truth? Metaphor, Language, and a Blue GuitarPier 57, New York, NY
Join us for a philosophy reading group exploring truth, language, and imagination through three provocative works. Together we’ll ask: Is truth discovery or invention? A mirror of reality, or a song we play?
📖 The Readings:
- Friedrich Nietzsche – On Truth and Lies in the Extra-Moral Sense (1873)
In this fiery early essay, Nietzsche claims that what we call “truths” are nothing more than well-worn metaphors and illusions we’ve forgotten are metaphors. He asks us to consider whether language itself distorts reality even as it makes life possible. - Richard Rorty – The Contingency of Language (1989)
One of America’s most influential philosophers, Rorty argues that there is no final, objective vocabulary that “gets reality right.” Instead, all of our descriptions are contingent — shaped by history, culture, and imagination. For him, truth is not a mirror of nature but a product of conversation. - Wallace Stevens – The Man with the Blue Guitar (1937)
A long, playful modernist poem perhaps inspired by Picasso’s painting The Old Guitarist. Stevens explores the relationship between imagination and reality, insisting that “things as they are / are changed upon the blue guitar.”
📄 Practical Details:
- Total reading: ~45 pages
Join us to discuss these readings:
Sat 9/6 12:30-2:30pm Seahorse Room @ Pier 57Readings:
Nietzsche - "Truth and Lies in the Extra-Moral Sense." (approx. 15 pages)- I will be reading the Tim Newcomb translation. Here or here.
- Feel free to read any translation that you like.
- I see a PDF available online here.
Rorty - "The Contingency of Language" which is Chapter 1 of his book Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. (approx. 20 pages)
- I will be reading the paperback available here.
- This one is under copyright still, but you can find it online or in the NYPL.
- We'll only read chapter 1.
Stevens - "The Man with the Blue Guitar" (33 stanzas, approx. 20 pages)
- I will be reading the paperback available here.
- I see it online here (starting at page 78).
- Be sure to read the full text, which has 33 stanzas (a shorter expert was published as well).
Rules for Our Group:
1. Be Courteous
Criticizing ideas is totally acceptable. Attacking people’s character is not.
2. Be Concise
Keep comments on topic and relatively brief.
Moderators will do their best to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak who wants to.
3. Do the Reading
If you have not done all of 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.For more info and FAQ on the group click here.
Looking forward to the discussion!
- Brent - Friedrich Nietzsche – On Truth and Lies in the Extra-Moral Sense (1873)
