Seattle Philosophy Club

https://www.meetup.com/orlando-stoics/

Welcome to Orlando Stoics! We are a very active group, with over 3,800 members and five meetings a week. Some meetings are held online, while others are in-person. All classes are free.

What is Stoicism? It's an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded in Athens about 300 BC. The first teacher was Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue (the highest good) is based on knowledge, and that wise people live in harmony with nature. The school also taught tolerance and self-control. Famous Stoics were Seneca the Younger, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. We also study modern Stoics.

Why Stoicism? In our world of instant gratification, constant stimulation, and endless distractions, Stoicism offers a novel perspective on life. Interested in developing an unconquerable mind? Stoicism has the answers. We also link ideas to Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Existentialism, Minimalism, and other "lived philosophy" systems. We love in-depth discussions!

If you join our group, feel free to adjust the email and notification settings to suit your preferences. Since we have new meetings every week, those emails might be too much for your inbox. Feel free to turn them off (go to our meetup page, click "You're a Member", and then click group notifications). You can still check our meetup page for upcoming events whenever you want.

The goals of our group:
1. We read the ancient books, plus the modern books on Stoicism.
2. We discuss Stoicism in the media, pop culture, and arts & literature.
3. We compare recurring themes in Stoicism to history, religion, and psychology.

There have always been people attracted to Stoicism. It was a significant influence on Shakespeare, JD Salinger, Tom Wolfe, and Nelson Mandela. It has also attracted political and military leaders, such as Frederick the Great, President Bill Clinton, and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who stated that he has read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations over 100 times.

We hope you will join us. The group is open to the public and has no subscription fee. Stoicism can help you cope with life's stresses, while retaining your ethics & character.

We hope to see you soon!

Life n
a
: the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body
a matter of life and death
held on for dear life
b
: a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings
felt the life draining out of him
c
: an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism (see metabolism sense 1), growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
Carbon dioxide is critical for plant life.
2
a
: the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual
… children … are the joy of our lives …—Agnes S. Turnbull
b
: one or more aspects of the process of living
sex life of the frog
3
: biography sense 1
the life of George Washington
4
: spiritual existence transcending (see transcend sense 1c) physical death
eternal life
5
a
: the period from birth to death
became famous relatively late in life
b
: a specific phase of earthly existence
adult life
c
: the period from an event until death
a judge appointed for life
d
law : life sentence
6
: a way or manner of living
couldn't wait to experience college life
7
: livelihood
The fishing village drew its life from the sea.
8
: a vital or living being
specifically : person
Many lives were lost in the disaster.
9
: an animating and shaping force or principle
The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience.—Oliver Wendell Holmes †1935
10
: spirit, animation
saw no life in her dancing
11
: the form or pattern of something existing in reality
painted from life
12
: the period of duration, usefulness, or popularity of something
the expected life of the batteries
13
: the period of existence (as of a subatomic particle) compare half-life
14
: a property (such as resilience (see resilience sense 1) or elasticity) of an inanimate (see inanimate sense 1) substance or object resembling the animate quality of a living being
a spring that has lost most of its life
15
: living beings (as of a particular kind or environment)
bird life
forest life
16
a
: human activities : the active or practical part of human existence
… her experience cooking for crews of men on the railroads in the West had prepared her for life in the Yukon.—Jane G. Haigh
b
: animate activity and movement
stirrings of life
c
: the activities of a given sphere, area, or time
the political life of the country
17
: one providing interest and vigor
life of the party
18
: an opportunity for continued viability
gave the patient a new lease on life
19
Life Christian Science : god sense 1b
20
: something resembling animate life
a grant saved the project's life

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 7:30 pm sharp at the mezzanine above the lobby of the Graduate Hotel in the University District: 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Directions for first-timers at the Graduate Hotel:
From the front hotel entrance go to the right. Turn left around the corner to enter through the north valet entrance. If the valet questions you just say you're here for the philosophy group. Go straight to the main lobby and turn right behind the large bookshelves before the elevators. Enter the stairway on your left, go up one flight, and go through the first door you encounter to enter our meeting area.

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF)
We will begin the meeting by reading the text above silently together.

2-MINUTE OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (2ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by taking up to two minutes explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter has up to two minutes to describe their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into TDRF>4 below.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT:
We will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they simply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.

Sam will be discussing what Nagarjuna can tell us about philosophy, particularly from the first chapter of Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka book.

The ZOOM link will appear on this page for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 842 4416 5316 - - Passcode: 377682
Don't be deterred if you are late. Join the event at any time.

SoFiA promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and the search for meaning. They welcome ALL viewpoints, including Atheism.

SOFiA Website.

Facebook: 'Sofiatalk' - Please join their ongoing discussions.

******************************
Existentialist Society's Website - - YouTube
- - Weekly Zoom Events.

Saturday Melbourne Existentialist Society Meeting. Please feel free to join the Melbourne Existentialst Society meeting from 2 pm AEST
https://www.meetup.com/existentialist-society/?eventOrigin=event_home_page

Life the Universe Street Philosophy commences at cessation of
The Melbourne Existentialist Society meeting.
Some of the many topics we have discussed previously,
some of which I could almost follow, are-

The Id, Super Ego and Ego
Where did the laws of physics come from?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Does Truth exist independent of consciousness?
Hard problem of consciousness.
Conspiracy theories - is there a psychological profile of a habitual conspiracy Theorist.
Previously
Is it possible to have ojective Morality without a concept of God?
Definition of "Information"
How do we know how a particle behaves in an unobserved state if "unobserved" by definition means we don't blinking well see it?
Meaning of meaning in "what is the meaning of life?"
Definition of Language
Ship of Thesis - is the "thing" just a construct?
Tranendentalism
Determinism
Observer effect in quantum physics
--------------
Is there a why to human existence?
Definition of experience.
Method of applying reason.
What does it mean to be "your authentic self?"
Idealism v Realism - ABSOLUTE TRUTH - What does that mean ? does it exist ? Ontology, how equipped are we to fathom the nature of things? HARD PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: WHERE DOES CONSCIOUSNESS ARISE?: DOES DNA TRANSLATE TO BEHAVIOUR?, IF SO HOW - definition of rationality - origins of "value" - precision of mathematics - concept of infinity.
Have been having some great flowing discussion as topics arise following conclusion of existentialists meeting, Melbourne, Australia. Thanks to all attendees.
General chat for the philosophically inclined about whatever comes up,
suggest topics as suits you or -
- possible topics
Information
- where is the information in an un opened book, does it exist when unobserved?
Reason
- what is the definition of reason
does it exist in physical laws, i.e. if we can we say "the rock fell because of gravity", how is this different to "what is the reason she chose Pepsi max instead of Coke Zero?"
Validity of evolutionary psychology:
- what evidence is there for evolutionarily selected behaviour, given that we cannot observe the history of the emergence of neurological structures as we can observe evolutionarily selected anatomical changes?