What we're about
SADHO is a curiosity-driven philosophy Meetup with a critical-theoretical interest in automatic and shared ways of worldmaking.
METHOD
- We present audiovisual surveys of Western philosophy and of the history and philosophy of science—surveys that are masterpieces of illuminating exposition—performed by the BBC Three, and
- Discuss them, with
- A professional philosopher or other Guest Expert.
SADHO in a Nutshell
SADHO makes scholarship fun by serving up the greatest embodied minds of all time in bite-sized, Technicolor, beautifully arranged morsels, and by bringing bona fide experts to the table for special lectures and Q&A.
In a word, SADHO is a fun, friendly, fast-moving, (non-)free-form* forum for philosophizing alongside, and under the guidance of, legendary professional and practicing philosophers.
SADHO’s Two Promises
Unlike other philosophy Meetup groups, whose discussions drift all over the Solar System, our high-quality discussions remain firmly within the Kuiper Belt. That’s our promise to you.
- SADHO’s First Promise — Our excursions and tangents will never stray outside the event’s topical Kuiper Belt.
Sound impossible? It’s not. The reason is that SADHO Meetups are … not actually free-form. They are anchored and constrained by a force.
A great force.
A force more powerful than even Vader …
The all-conquering force of radical insight, expressed vividly and clearly, by a master teacher.
There is nothing better than an illuminating and meticulously lucid discourse delivered by a riveting and intensely expressive person. Add to this a great video, diagram, or model, and you have the makings of peak experience.
This force flows neither from Scott & Dave, nor from the great topics we choose, but from the the expository virtuosos that elucidate these topics—i.e., from our Guest Experts and the BBC Three.
The BBC Three
SADHO meetings revolve around recorded performances by the greatest scientific, historical, and philosophical exegetes of all time. While incarnated on the Prime Material plane, these lofty ones were known as Jacob Bronowski, Bryan Magee, and James Burke.
These men, the BBC Three, will be our guides. That’s our second promise.
- SADHO’s Second Promise — Our meetings will always include either a Guest Expert or one of the BBC Three.
These engrossing masters of elegant exposition; these dexterous wordsmiths of rhetorical Fabergé eggs; these benevolent ministers of restorative mind-tonics; these tireless disciples of skillful means; these master-architects of felicitous visual models, diagrams, and schemas; these altruistic wielders of knot-cutting scalpels; these humble and plain-speaking sweepers of cobwebs; these irreverent deflators of metaphysical extravagance; these view-transforming founts of illuminating metaphor; these poetic alchemists of feeling and idea; these massively multi-channel pedagogical improvisors; these fascinating bards of scientific and philosophical history …
Words cannot capture the glory of the BBC Three. And two of them are now dead. I count it as the greatest blessing to humanity that all three of them worked for the BBC in the 70s and that we have audiovisual records of their performances.
Surely, it is these performances, and not the writings of LRH, that should have been engraved on stainless steel tablets and encased in titanium capsules beneath Trementina Base.
P.S. — We now have a baby YouTube channel. Video for our events will be uploaded here (if possible) as will videos of our events (eventually).
Upcoming events (4+)
Abstract: Clark explores the Black Death, economic changes due to labor shortages, humanism, Renaissance art, the invention of powerful city-states (Florence, Venice, and Milan), the Protestant Reformation, and the impact of the printing press.
Welcome to Episode 02: The Great Thaw! For a description of the entire series, click here.
In this episode, Clark tells of the sudden reawakening of European civilisation in the 12th century. He traces it from its first manifestations in Cluny Abbey to the Basilica of St Denis and finally to its high point, the building of Chartres Cathedral in the early 13th century.
He then discusses how the Black Death pandemic devastated Europe in the 14th century and how the resulting labor shortages and increased demand for goods and services led to significant economic and social changes.
From these changes humanism emerged. Clark then discusses the rise of Renaissance art, architecture, and literature, including the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
The episode then delves into the political and religious changes that occurred during the Renaissance, such as the emergence of powerful city-states in Italy and the Protestant Reformation.
Finally, the host discusses the impact of the printing press on the dissemination of knowledge and ideas during this period.
METHOD
We will be enjoying high-def version of the series with remastered audio and enriched subtitles:
Video Table of Contents
- The Triumph of the Church
- the Abbeys of Cluny and Moissac
- St Bernard of Clairvaux
- St Foy
- The Abbey of Vézelay
- Gislebertus
- The Abbey of St Denis
- Abbot Suger
- Chartres
- David S
- Scott
- Tiny B.
- 11 attendees
[Details forthcoming …]
- David S
- Scott
- jinger h
- 5 attendees
[Details forthcoming …]
- David S
- Scott
- jinger h
- 4 attendees
[Details forthcoming …]
- Scott
- David S
- 2 attendees
Past events (72)
- David S
- Scott
- Andy R.
- 28 attendees
