What we’re about
Studio 42 is where we have moving conversations about controversial and philosophical subjects. Are you passionate about exploring the nuances of consequential topics and engaging in constructive and meaningful dialogue? Our purpose is to practice the skill of discussing challenging topics while improving our active listening, critical thinking, empathy, persuasion, public speaking and dispute resolution skills.
Join us to connect with thoughtful people and immerse yourself in discussions that challenge your perspectives and expand your understanding of the world. Let’s enjoy learning together while making meaningful connections through the art of thoughtful conversation!
Discussions are moderated to ensure respectful exchange and to give everyone an equal opportunity to speak. You are welcome to join regardless of your political views, knowledge level or skill level. Participation is optional; you can speak or just listen in.
VALUES
During our events, we pursue the following values:
Critical Thinking
Each conversation provides an opportunity to delve deeply into complex topics, challenge your own assumptions, and develop a more nuanced perspective. By engaging in these dialogues, we aim to cultivate a space where members can enhance their analytical skills and embrace thoughtful reflection, all while contributing to a richer and more informed understanding of the world.
Persuasion
We seek to present our opinions in a way that is understandable, sympathetic, engaging, entertaining and persuasive. Engaging in these dialogues offers a unique opportunity to articulate your viewpoints, consider alternative perspectives, and enhance your ability to communicate effectively.
Joy
Each conversation is a chance to enjoy meaningful exchanges that bring us closer together and enhance our collective understanding. We see our events as a way to share joy, humour, fascination, and human connection.
GUIDELINES
This is a dialogue, not a debate
Please come in the spirit of sharing your opinion, listening thoughtfully to others, and doing your part to create a friendly and inquisitive atmosphere. This is not a debate where opposing sides argue and try to win points. This is a dialogue where encourage listening, reflection, and collaborative exploration of the topic.
This is not a science Meetup
We are here discuss philosophical concepts, opinions, perspectives and values. We will not debate about the scientific consensus on empirical matters like climate change, the effectiveness of vaccines, or the implications of quantum mechanics, to name a few examples.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
We are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. We appreciate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive space for people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences.
NAME AND PRONOUN PREFERENCES
If you have specific pronoun preferences or any other requests to help ensure that you feel comfortable and respected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the event organizer. Your needs and preferences are important to us, and we want to make sure our gatherings are supportive and inclusive for all attendees.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Discussion: The Financialization of Everything4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *As the financial sector has grown over past decades, its influence has grown to impact nearly all other sectors of the economy. Currently, more than 20% of single-family homes are owned by private equity or institutional investors. Private equity firms own many retail businesses and traditional "local" businesses like gyms and restaurants, and in the United States, they own a large share of the healthcare industry.
What are the impacts of the private equity takeover on competition, innovation, and job security? Is financialization a good or and trend? Is it generating value for everyone, or extracting value for the wealthy few?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day. All viewpoints are welcome for this friendly, moderated discussion.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Name and Pronoun Preferences
If you have specific pronoun preferences or any other requests to help ensure that you feel comfortable and respected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the event organizer. Your needs and preferences are important to us, and we want to make sure our gatherings are supportive and inclusive for all attendees.Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
Any suggestions?Ideals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out! - Discussion: The Manosphere4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *The manosphere is a loose assemblage of websites, blogs, forums and social media channels dedicated to promoting masculinity, advocating for men's rights, and quite often, dedicated to opposing feminism. You might have heard about some of the communities that constitute the manosphere: Men's Rights Activists (MRAs), incels, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), and Pickup Artists (PUA) to name a few.
With worsening economic conditions, a difficult job market, increasing political polarization between the sexes, and changing social norms around gender and dating, many men find it difficult to navigate their lives and achieve their professional and family goals. It's unfortunate that as men are struggling, many of their prominent communities are instrumentalizing their difficulties and radicalizing them with counterproductive, toxic and hateful advice.
What do you think about the manosphere? Is it all bad? Are there places that men can get good advice and find positive role models? Are men going to be OK?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Name and Pronoun Preferences
If you have specific pronoun preferences or any other requests to help ensure that you feel comfortable and respected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the event organizer. Your needs and preferences are important to us, and we want to make sure our gatherings are supportive and inclusive for all attendees.Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ManosphereIdeals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out! - Afterthoughts: In Vino Veritas - Philosophy and Wine TastingLe Roseline, Montreal, QC
Admission: $10, paid at the door.
In Vino Veritas is the event for philosophy nerds and afficionados to meet, discuss, and enjoy the incredible selection of wines available at Le Roseline, a stylish and cozy restaurant in Le Plateau. Wine tasting is optional; there are plenty of non-wine and non-alcoholic options available too.
Join us for an evening where philosophy gets dressed up and goes out. We’re bringing together sharp minds, bold performers, and lively conversation at one of Montreal’s most beautiful bistro pubs—for a night of fine food, strong drinks, and unexpected ideas. Whether you're here for the laughs, the insights, or the chance to meet fascinating people, this is the place to be. It’s mind over martinis—you Kant afford to miss it.
20% Discount at Roseline
This event is co-hosted with spectra.discount, the website that makes luxury experiences affordable to people 35 and under. If you fit within this age range, all your food and drink purchases will be discounted.Sign up today to discover the best bars and restaurants in Montreal, at reduced prices!
https://spectra.discount/enLe Roseline
Le Roseline was born from its owner's desire to create a timeless space whose atmosphere evokes another era, where time seemed to flow more slowly. Le Roseline is a warm, friendly, and chic, yet unpretentious, space.
https://www.leroseline.com/The Program
Intro Game: Subjectify Me!
Start the evening with a fun twist on speed-friending. You’ll receive a list of philosophical perspectives: consequentialist, rationalist, cynic, stoic, and more. Your mission: mingle and match the labels to fellow guests.Moment of Philosophy
Just in case you were running out of things to talk about, we’ll pause for a short interlude to explore a philosopher or school of thought that feels eerily relevant to this moment in time. This won't be on the pop quiz so lean back, learn something meaningful, and reflect before the discussion continues.The Debate
Two teams of two will go head-to-head on a philosophical or political topic. Expect wild arguments, creative logic, and plenty of laughter as our debaters try to outwit each other with charm, conviction, and zero preparation. Audience participation encouraged, laughter guaranteed!Open Discussion
The rest of the evening is yours to savour; meeting friends, having thoughtful discussion, and enjoying fine food and drinks.Admission
$10, paid at the door.Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but you will miss the fun games and performance.Inclusion
Studio 42 is committed to creating a welcoming and safe space for everyone. We celebrate diversity across all ages, ethnicities, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, and gender identities. If you have specific pronoun preferences or accessibility needs, please contact the event organizer—we want everyone to feel respected and supported. - Discussion: Postmodern Life4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
* * Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *WTF is postmodernism? Maybe nobody really knows; even expert philosophers disagree about it and struggle to explain it. Broadly speaking, it means that we reject certainty. We live in a world where it's difficult to be sure about facts, and where knowledge is always filtered through the lens of our own culture and bias. We question religion and traditional knowledge, sources that delivered certainty in the past. Even academic discourse and modern science are recognized as flawed human endeavours, and held up to skepticism.
How do you live in this world where there are no hard rules and nothing is black and white? It can be exhausting to filter through the media and question everything. It's anxiety-inducing to make moral choices when there are no hard rules and doing the right thing requires you to undertake a complex thought process.
Let's talk about the world that we all live in. Do you find it difficult? How do you cope with it? Are we on the right track? Has postmodernism failed us or have we failed postmodernism?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Name and Pronoun Preferences
If you have specific pronoun preferences or any other requests to help ensure that you feel comfortable and respected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the event organizer. Your needs and preferences are important to us, and we want to make sure our gatherings are supportive and inclusive for all attendees.Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostmodernismIdeals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out!
