What we’re about
We are a free & open group dedicated to exploring issues common to all humanity. We meet almost every other Sunday between 5pm- 7p.m. at a cafe in Publika, Kuala Lumpur. We encourage everyone to join in the discussion, but there's no compulsion to do so.
This is a discussion not a lecture nor debate and you don't need to be a Ph.D holder.
The owners of the cafe have allowed us to use their premises without charging so we urge you to return this generosity by buying at least a drink.
Interested in hosting a meet up? We strongly recommend attending at least 2 meet ups consecutively, so that you know what to expect and also have a good feel for moderating.
Once you’ve done that, send us a message on MeetUp.com with a short write up on the topic you’d like to moderate. This write up must have:
> 1. A title; which lets members know generally what to expect from the discussion.
> 2. A description, which may be in the form statements or questions, we find that crisp bullet points are best.
Try to cover multiple angles and hidden questions in the topic; ideally about 3 different ones. Remember that 2 hours is a pretty long time, thinking about the many dimensions within topic will definitely help drive the discussion.
Once you’ve sent us the write up, give us about a week to get back to you, and if it meets those minimum requirements listed above, we’ll try our best to schedule your topic in the next couple of months.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Should 5-Year-Olds get to Vote?(and Should Some Adults Be Barred from Doing so?)Top G Coffee & Cafe, Kuala Lumpur
If democracy means “one person, one vote”… who counts as a person?
Children don’t vote because their brains aren’t fully developed. But what about adults who believe lizard-people run the government, or who get their news from memes? If everyone’s voice matters equally, why do some voices terrify us?
This week, we’ll unpack one of democracy’s most awkward questions: What *is* a vote, and who actually deserves one?
Philosophers and political theorists have wildly different answers:
- Jason Brennan argues we should restrict the vote to the informed and rational — no more voting rights for “political toddlers.”
- John Stuart Mill proposed that everyone should get at least one vote but educated people should get more
- David Runciman suggests children *should* vote — with their parents acting as proxies until they can hold a pencil
- Others argue the strength of democracy comes precisely from including *everyone*, regardless of intelligence or ideology.
- In Australia, it’s illegal *not* to vote — even if you doodle on the ballot.
- Carole Pateman – argues that representative democracy is not enough, citizens need to directly participate in decision making
Join us as we wrestle with nine questions, each one grounded in real philosophical debate:
- What *is* a vote/why do we have voting systems? Is it a signal of preference, a mechanism of consent, or just a random number generator to reshuffle elites? If votes don’t shape outcomes, does it even matter who votes?
- Why do we give every adult a vote — even if they’re wildly uninformed or irrational? Should a flat-earther and a climate scientist really have the same say?
- Should voting be earned e.g., via education, civic service, or a basic knowledge test? Or does that open the door to discrimination and elitism?
- Should some people get more votes than others? Elders with more life experience? Billionaires and celebrities? Those with the most Insta followers? Could weighted voting make democracy fairer — or more corrupt?
- Should children have voting rights — directly or through their parents? Runciman argues yes, to fix intergenerational injustice. Would that give kids a voice — or just amplify their parents’ beliefs?
- If we exclude children for lacking maturity, should we exclude others too? What about people with dementia, or those who believe QAnon? Where (and how) do we draw the line?
- Should voting be compulsory? Australia thinks so. Would mandatory voting strengthen democracy — or just increase noise and resentment?
- If we could redesign democracy from scratch, what would voting look like? Who votes, how often, and under what conditions? Would we invent something radically different — or just recreate the mess we already have?
- Should sentient AI be allowed to vote? If a being can think, suffer, and reason, does it deserve political representation? Or would that be the end of human control?
Suggested Readings:
- David Runciman – the case for giving votes the children: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/16/reconstruction-after-covid-votes-for-children-age-six-david-runciman
- Jason Brennan - The Case Against equal voting rights:
https://aeon.co/ideas/the-right-to-vote-should-be-restricted-to-those-with-knowledge
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/07/the-case-against-democracy - Compulsory Voting in Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting
- AI Rights: The case for and against giving AI the kinds of rights humans have | The Week
