What we’re about
See upcoming readings on our Notion, and chat with us on our Discord
Welcome to the San Francisco Philosophy Reading Group! We are a group of amateur, interested philosophers who get together to read and discuss classic works of philosophy.
Our group will focus on a different reading every 2 weeks, and then meet up in person to discuss the reading in a friendly and casual setting. We welcome readers of all levels and philosophical inclinations, as long as you are willing to engage with the reading and discussion in a friendly, open manner.
We also have a Discord where we discuss Kant and other philosophical topics—join us anytime!
Upcoming events
2
Wittgenstein: The Limits of Language and World
The Radical Reading Room, 438 Haight St, San Francisco, CA, USFor this session, we'll be reading Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus." Wittgenstein constructs a stark picture theory of language: the world is the totality of facts, not things; language mirrors reality through logical structure; propositions are pictures of possible states of affairs. What can be said can be said clearly; what cannot be said must be passed over in silence. He draws a limit to thought by mapping the logical scaffolding of representation—tautologies say nothing, contradictions are nonsense, and meaningful propositions share logical form with the facts they depict. Philosophy's task is therapeutic: to show that most philosophical problems arise from misunderstanding the logic of language. Ethics, aesthetics, the mystical—everything of value—lies outside the world of facts, beyond the reach of language. The ladder must be thrown away after climbing: the propositions of the Tractatus itself are revealed as senseless, mere elucidations pointing toward what can only be shown, not said. The task: recognize the limits of language to dissolve pseudo-problems and see the world aright.
The reading can be found here. We will try to cover the whole text ext, but feel free to skim over the truth tables and logical notation.50 attendees
Wittgenstein: Language Games & The Private Language Myth
The Radical Reading Room, 438 Haight St, San Francisco, CA, USFor this session, we take on Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations (Sections 1–33 and 191–360). Wittgenstein doesn't try to solve philosophical problems; he tries to dissolve them.
The opening sections dismantle the ancient view of words as mere labels for objects, replacing static meaning with dynamic "language games"—the idea that meaning is found only in use. We then turn to the famous "Private Language Argument." Through the "Beetle in the Box" thought experiment, Wittgenstein exorcises the Cartesian ghost, arguing that even our most intimate sensations are public constructs, not private secrets.
The task: To stop thinking and start looking, aiming to cure the "bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language."
The reading can be found here27 attendees
Past events
26
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