What we’re about
Welcome to the Toronto Philosophy Meetup! This is a community for anyone interested in philosophy, including newcomers to the subject. We host discussions, talks, reading groups, pub nights, debates, and other events on an inclusive range of topics and perspectives in philosophy, drawing from an array of materials (e.g. philosophical writings, for the most part, but also movies, literature, history, science, art, podcasts, current events, ethnographies, and whatever else seems good.)
Anyone is welcomed to host philosophy-related events here. We also welcome speakers and collaborations with other groups.
Join us at an event soon for friendship, cooperative discourse, and mental exercise!
You can also follow us on Twitter and join our Discord.
Feel free to propose meetup topics (you can do this on the Message Boards), and please contact us if you would like to be a speaker or host an event.
(NOTE: Most of our events are currently online because of the pandemic.)
"Philosophy is not a theory but an activity."
— from "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus", Wittgenstein
"Discourse cheers us to companionable
reflection. Such reflection neither
parades polemical opinions nor does it
tolerate complaisant agreement. The sail
of thinking keeps trimmed hard to the
wind of the matter."
— from "On the Experience of Thinking", Heidegger
See here for an extensive list of podcasts and resources on the internet about philosophy.
See here for the standards of conduct that our members are expected to abide by. Members should also familiarize themselves with Meetup's Terms of Service Agreement, especially the section on Usage and Content Policies.
See here for a list of other philosophy-related groups to check out in the Toronto area: https://www.meetup.com/The-Toronto-Philosophy-Meetup/pages/30522966/Other_Philosophy_Groups_in_the_Toronto_Area/
Please note that no advertising of external events, products, businesses, or organizations is allowed on this site without permission from the main Organizer.
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Make a Donation
Since 2016, the Toronto Philosophy Meetup has been holding regular events that are free, open to the public, and help to foster community and a culture of philosophy in Toronto and beyond. To help us continue to do so into the future, please consider supporting us with a donation! Any amount is most welcome.
You can make a donation here.
See here for more information and to meet our donors.
Supporters will be listed on our donors page unless they wish to remain anonymous. We thank them for their generosity!
If you would like to help out or support us in other ways (such as with any skills or expertise you may have), please contact us.
Note: You can also use the donation link to tip individual hosts. Let us know who you want to tip in the notes section. You can also contact hosts directly for ways to tip them.
The idea of utopia — of a perfect society devoid of suffering and inequality — is planted firmly in the human imagination and psyche. From pre-biblical times to Thomas More and communism and beyond, widely disparate groups have attempted to plan or create a utopia.
But is it achievable? And if not, why not?
Join the unconventional University of Toronto psychologist Paul Bloom as he makes the case for the impossibility of utopia given certain key features of human nature. We are not meant, he argues, for perfect harmony and equality. Paul Bloom is a researcher of perversion and suffering, so his perspective brings interesting insights on the question.
But what do you think? Can we ever achieve utopia?
(The video mentioned in the episode: Woman throws cat into wheelie bin)
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We will discuss the episode "Utopia and Human Nature" from the Philosophy For Our Times podcast at this meetup. Please listen to the episode in advance (27 minutes) and bring your thoughts, reactions, and queries to share with us at the conversation.
Listen here: Spotify | Apple | Listen Notes
About the guest:
Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. Bloom studies how children and adults make sense of the world, with special focus on language, morality, pleasure, religion, fiction, and art. His work is strongly interdisciplinary, bringing in theory and research from areas such as cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, evolutionary theory, behavioral economics, and philosophy. Bloom is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his research and teaching, including, most recently, the million-dollar Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. He is past-president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Bloom is the author of eight books, including Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion (2016), The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (2021), Descartes' Baby: How The Science Of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human (2004), Psych: The Story of the Human Mind (2023), and How Children Learn the Meanings of Words (2000). He has written for scientific journals such as Nature and Science, and for popular outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
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Future topics for this discussion series:
If you'd like to suggest a podcast episode for us to discuss at a future meetup, please send me a message or leave a comment below.
This link here is my own (frequently updated) playlist of listening recommendations and potential fodder for future discussions (by default it's sorted from oldest to newest but you can reverse the order with the "sort by" button.)
Podcast episodes we've previously discussed:
- Why Cynicism Is Bad For You (and The Surprising Science of Human Goodness) from The Gray Area
- The Culture Map: Decoding Cross-Cultural Communication from ReThinking
- The Price of Neutrality: Why “Staying Out of It” Backfires in Moral Disagreement from The Stanford Psychology Podcast
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- International Relations: Theories, Applications, and Current EventsLink visible for attendees
This will mostly be a discussion around major recent and ongoing events in international relations, while applying as much IR concepts and frameworks as possible. Since this is rather impromptu, if the number of signups are limited, I may reschedule to Saturday afternoon.
[Placeholder for references]
- Middle East
- Ukraine
- NATO / Transatlantic
- China / BRICS
- Other
Links to previous event on Israel-Iran:
John Mearsheimer & Yoram Hazony on Israel vs. Iran
BLACK PILL: Majority Americans Support Iran War
Ted Postol on Physics of the Air Strike, Jeffrey Sachs, John Mearsheimer, Douglas MacGregor, Chaz Freeman
Iran War Debate: Nuclear Weapons, Trump, Peace, Power & the Middle East | Lex Fridman Podcast
Bilahari Kausikan: U.S. Role in World is Undergoing ‘Fundamental Shift’Prior/ongoing series on basic IR Theories:
Theory
- Quick Overview of Structural Realism, Liberalism, etc.; Another
- Offensive vs. Defensive Realism; 2
- Constructivism
- Diplomacy: Stapleton Roy, George Schultz, Bilahari Kausikan
- Power: Joseph Nye, Jack Matlock
Talks, applications, and discussions
- Rise and Fall of Liberal Intl Order
- John Mearsheimer discusses his book "The Great Delusion"
- Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer (2015)
- Why John Mearsheimer is wrong about realism, great power politics and history
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AjiSqp5Ddw
Additional Info and References
- [Placeholder]
- Plato’s Phaedo, on the Soul (Live Reading)Link visible for attendees
Phaedo is a fictional account of the conversation that took place between Socrates and his adherents just as Socrates was waiting to drink the hemlock. It marks a transition from the earlier ethical dialogues the more comprehensive works that involve proper epistemological and ontological inquiry. It is also the first dialogue to give a proper account of the theory of forms and contains a very short intellectual autobiography of Socrates. Phaedo remains important in our modern age both as a treasure trove of intellectual possibilities and because it provides a firm and coherent foundation for the philosophical life which, in Socrates' case culminates in death.
Therefore, Phaedo is both an ideal introduction to the platonic theory of forms and a summary of some of the arguments that would be used to defend the immortality of the soul for more than 2300 years.
Phaedo, along with the Euthyphro, the Apology, and Crito comprise the quartet of Plato’s works and are sometimes collectively called "The Trial and Death of Socrates". It is part of the first tetralogy of Platonic works and belongs to Plato’s middle creative period.
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This is a live reading of Phaedo. No previous knowledge of the Platonic corpus is required but a general understanding of the question of philosophy in general and of ancient philosophy in particular is to some extent desirable but not presupposed. This Plato group meets on Saturdays and has previously read the Apology, Philebus, Gorgias, Critias, Laches, Timaeus, Euthyphro, Crito and other works, including ancient commentaries and texts for contextualisation such as Gorgias’ Praise of Helen. The reading is intended for well-informed generalists even though specialists are obviously welcome. It is our aspiration to read the Platonic corpus over a long period of time.
The host is Constantine Lerounis, a distinguished Greek philologist and poet, author of Four Access Points to Shakespeare’s Works (in Greek) and Former Advisor to the President of the Hellenic Republic. May 3 is the introductory session for Phaedo and hence an ideal opportunity to join the group without having to do any catching up.
The translation we are using is by G.M.A. Grube and can be found here.
- Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924): Automaticity and the UnconsciousLink visible for attendees
We continue exploring Surrealism, including Georges Bataille's relationship and eventual break with the movement. Readings:
1. This week we read the second part of André Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924) -- pp. 29-47 in the University of Michigan edition.
2. We'll have a look at Breton and Soupault's founding Surrealist work, The Magnetic Fields*.* See these links for excerpts and a review:
First excerpt, Second excerpt, Poem review3. We may make comparisons between Surrealism and two 'sister' movements: Dadaism and Cubism.
On Dada:
Dadaist poems of Hugo Ball (read by Christian Bök)
Tristan Tzara's Dadaist play Antipyrine (1916) and Dada Manifesto (1918)On Cubism:
On Wallace Stevens' cubist poem Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird (1917)
Dali's (1929) vs. Picasso's (1937) portrait of Paul ÉluardSome discussion questions:
What are Surrealism's basic premises? What are its basic artistic methods and techniques?
How did the movement emerge from Dadaism and where does it differ from Cubism?
How does Surrealism compare with Bataille's thinking from the 1920s and 30s, and why was he initially attracted to the movement?
What precipitated Bataille's eventual break with André Breton?==========
You can find all texts in the Google folder linked at the BOTTOM of this description (also the Zoom link) -- scroll all the way down 👇For notes and commentary on the texts see my Bataille blog at this link:
https://sites.google.com/view/existentialism-and-its-critics/Upcoming topics:
Jul 26: André Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924)
Aug 2: Surrealism (cont'd)
Aug 9: Bataille and/vs SurrealismPlease take the time to read and reflect on the reading prior to the meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend, but speaking priority will be given to people who have read the text.
Future topics to be discussed:
- Deleuze with/against Bataille
- Eroticism and the 'logic' of transgression
- Foucault's "A Preface to Transgression"
- Bataille's reading of Hegel, the negative and general economy
- Derrida's "From Restricted to General Economy"
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ABOUT THIS GROUP
Bataille stands out as an eclectic, fascinating and controversial figure in the world of French letters. A contemporary of Sartre and Lacan, he combined ideas from diverse disciplines to create a unique position that he labeled 'base materialism' and which could equally be called 'ecstatic materialism'. Keeping outside the academic mainstream (he worked as a librarian), Bataille writes at the intersection of multiple disciplines including philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, mythology, and mystical theology. His works develop a libidinal economy, offer a critique of fascism and embrace marginal experiences in the style of the French poets. He is a formative precursor to the post-structuralist philosophers of the '60s -- and may well be more relevant in our time than ever.We'll start with Bataille's early writings on Nietzsche and make our way through his important concepts over a number of weeks. We'll aim to understand Bataille's thought on its own terms as well as to place him in the context of the German thinkers that preceded him and the French philosophers who followed his lead. In view of Bataille's early relationship with Surrealism, the referenced artworks will spotlight this movement.
Note: Bataille's texts, while philosophically important, discuss difficult themes such as mortality, the unconscious, eroticism, primeval social practices, etc. Keep this in mind as you approach him, especially if this is your first experience with French philosophy.
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GROUP RULES
- Please spend 1-2 hours per week reading and preparing for the discussion.
- Keep your comments concise and relevant to the text.
- Please limit each comment to a maximum of 2-3 minutes. You're welcome to speak as many times as you wish.
- Virtual meeting courtesy: let's not interrupt each other and keep mics muted when not speaking.
- We'll focus the discussion with key passages and discussion questions. Be sure to bring your favorite passages, questions, comments, criticisms, etc.
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Join the Facebook group for more resources and discussion:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/755460079505498
If you have attended previous meetings, please fill out a brief survey at this link: https://forms.gle/tEMJ4tw2yVgnTsQD6All readings can be found in this Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VPRdvZYmUKBY3cSxD8xC8sTYtSEKBXDs
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81251109319?pwd=R3hVQ2RqcVBvaHJwYnoxMFJ5OXJldz09Art: from Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924)
