What we’re about
We're a community that practices and discusses philosophy, being free and open to all levels and backgrounds. We offer seminars, a variety of discussion formats, and the occasional lecture / guest speaker.
Many meetings will have fewer RSVPs than people who actually attend. This is because overtime people stop making use of Meetup.com and instead communicate with their groups via Discord, Slack, Zoom, E-mail, or similar You can think of the list of events hosted on this Meetup as advertisements for groups seeking new participants.
Our philosophy offerings are organized and facilitated by volunteers. If you have a philosophy offering - or an offering that compliments the study of philosophy, such as in literature, the sciences, and so on - that you'd like to advertise through this Meetup, please contact the organizer. We're grateful to those who want to enrich Seattle with study and discussion!
Participants must speak, write, and act in a considerate, professional, and respectful manner, and be prepared for the meetings that they attend, having reviewed the materials to the degree necessary to participate. If you haven't reviewed the materials but still wish to attend an event, please consult the event facilitator regarding the best manner for you to be present.
We look forward to studying philosophy together!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Power, Privilege, and The Patriarchy - 4 PM Pacific not 5.30 PMLink visible for attendees
## Details
Starts at 4.00 PM Pacific - Time Zone Tec Glitch
(Please consider supporting their fundraiser by buying a t-shirt :) https://thethinkersclub.creator-spring.com/ )
“The patriarchy” refers to a social system in which men hold primary power, particularly in roles of political leadership, moral authority, and control over property and institutions. Historically, many societies have been patriarchal, with gender roles assigning men dominance in the public sphere and women to domestic roles. Feminist theory often critiques the patriarchy as a system that perpetuates gender inequality, limiting both women's rights and men's emotional expression. Supporters of this critique argue that patriarchal norms are still embedded in modern laws, workplace structures, and cultural expectations. However, critics argue that the concept oversimplifies social dynamics, ignores progress made in gender equality, or unfairly blames men as a group.- How do you define "the patriarchy," and is it still a useful concept in understanding gender dynamics today?
- What are some examples—historical or current—that illustrate the presence or decline of patriarchal structures?
- To what extent do men benefit from the patriarchy, and are there ways in which they are also harmed by it?
- Can institutions (like the workplace, government, or family) be patriarchal even if individuals within them support gender equality?
- Is it possible to address gender inequality without using the concept of patriarchy?
- How have feminist movements evolved in their approach to challenging patriarchy—and have they been successful?
Jordan Peterson on Gender, Patriarchy, and the Slide Towards Tyranny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QRQjrsFnR4
Where Did Patriarchy Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAqVPlS1Q-s
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In addition to the main topic (above), we also provide breakout rooms at 8pm as follows:
“Applied Practical Philosophy” – philosophy and its applications
“Town Square” – politics and current events
“Conference Room” – open for anything
“The Lounge” – light social chat
Events inCritical ThinkingSociology
Intellectual DiscussionsCurrent EventsSocial Justice## Attendees (85)
- Aristotle's On Interpretation - Live-Reading--European StyleLink visible for attendees
July 8 - We are returning to the fifth and sixth paragraphs of chapter 13 to rediscover an often-neglected distinction between possibility and necessity as analogous to the changeable and the unchangeable. The bookmark is set at Bekker line 22b29. George will present his findings.
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Aristotle grapples with competing notions of "possibility" {dunamis}--metaphysical possibility concerning a thing's capacity and ability versus epistemological possibility concerning whether the evidence justifies a predication. In this last part of the chapter, he addresses the metaphysical.
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On the nature of anything existent, it is necessarily what it is. What are possible to be or not to be for it depend on what it is already. Some existents have opposite possibilities; but some have only one-directional possibility. Fire, for example, is going to be hot; it cannot not be hot. So, fire has the one-directional possibility about being hot.
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What else? Join the meeting and discuss.
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----Organon means "instrument," as in, instrument for thought and speech. The term was given by ancient commentators to a group of Aristotle's treatises comprising his logical works.
Organon
|-- Categories ---- 2023.02.28
|-- On Interpretation ---- 2023.12.12
|-- Topics
|-- On Sophistical Refutations
|-- Rhetoric*
|-- Prior Analytics
|-- Posterior Analytics(* Robin Smith, author of SEP's 2022 entry "Aristotle's Logic," argues that Rhetoric should be part of the Organon.)
Whenever we do any human thing, we can either do it well or do it poorly. With instruments, we can do things either better, faster, and more; or worse, slower, and less. That is, with instruments they either augment or diminish our doings.
Do thinking and speaking (and writing and listening) require instruments? Yes. We do need physical instruments like microphones, megaphones, pens, papers, computers. But we also need mental instruments: grammar, vocabulary words, evidence-gathering techniques, big-picture integration methods, persuasion strategies. Thinking while sitting meditatively all day in a lotus position doesn't require much instrumentation of any kind, but thinking and speaking well in the sense of project planning, problem-solving, negotiating, arguing, deliberating--that is, the active doings in the world (whether romantic, social, commercial, or political)--do require well-honed mental instruments. That's the Organon in a nutshell.
Are you an up-and-coming human being, a doer, go-getter, achiever, or at least you're choosing to become one? You need to wield the Organon.
Join us.
- FTI: Socrates Cafe [Host: Karl Iglesias]Link visible for attendees
This event is brought to you by the Free Thinker Institute (FTI), a not-for-profit looking to support and empower personal development for its members - and for everyone interested. We organize an event every Tuesday to discuss ways to transform wisdom into practical applications that benefit our lives, covering topics widely ranging from professional subjects to spiritual ones.
Format: Social where we introduce ourselves (for those who want to) (15 mins), Brainstorm topics as a group about what we will discuss for the evening (15 mins), group discussion (1 hour 45 mins).
Description:
We will brainstorm topics to discuss at the start of the event, vote on said topics to decide which topic(s) are the most popular, and discuss those topics.For reference, see this TEDx talk about Socrates Café https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWNOa-Q0S6c
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zgAfter registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.
Here’s our legal notice: For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.
