What we’re about
This group is for people that want to meet new people in Kingston AND engage in deep, meaningful conversations about topics in philosophy, ethics, politics, science, etc. "The unexamined life is not worth living" is the motto of our group. If you are interested in living an examined life, please consider joining us for some fun, deep conversations.
“The unexamined life is not worth living”. Those were the words of my intellectual hero Socrates, shortly before the Athenians sentenced him to death for challenging their beliefs. Socrates was considered a bit of a pain in the butt to his contemporaries because he was always asking deep questions like “What is the good life?” and “What is justice?”. Not everyone appreciates having their ideas and beliefs questioned. But the members of The Philosopher’s Club (Kingston) embrace, indeed celebrate!, the inquisitive mindset. We long for substantive conversations about all topics- ethics, politics, art, science, religion, law, evolution, economics, psychology, etc. We believe that the life of the active mind is the good life, and we want to continue to grow, learn and develop by engaging in civil discussion and debate with kindred spirits that live in our fine city.
Who am I? I’m a professor at Queen’s University. I am a secular humanist with a PhD in philosophy and I have had the good fortune to teach thousands of bright students in England, Scotland, Canada and the United States. While not a luddite, I will admit I loath the erosion of real (vs virtual) community and “cognitive presence” I see rampant in the hyper-social-media connectivity of the modern world. Very few people have the time or desire to meet in person and converse any more. A “re-tweet” or FB “like” are inadequate substitutes to meet our desire for substantive connection that is engrained in our evolved, pro-social biology.
People are often too busy texting away with their nose glued to their phone to meet and converse with new people in “real life”. Well, I have opted out of that virtual rat race, and this meetup group is my attempt to help forge an authentic, “conversationally-present” community of like-minded Kingstonians. I hope you will consider joining me!
Why join this group?
Answer #1: To meet new people! You like people, right?
Answer #2: To be happier! You like being happy, right? Science has shown that people are happier when engaging in meaningful conversations vs making small chat.
Format of the Group.
This meetup group is a social experiment. As such, the nature and frequency of our meetings will evolve depending on the size of the group and people’s interest. But at the moment I am planning on running two styles of meetings, what I shall call “informal” meetups, and “formal” meetups.
“Informal meetups” will take place at least once a month, at a pub, coffee shop or (when weather permits) a scenic location for walking. There will be no size limit on these events, or set topic to discuss. Just show up and chat about whatever deep topics or ideas you would like to discuss and debate.
“Formal meetups” will take place once a month. These will be lunch or dinner events, with an attendee limit of only 4 people. A table reservation for 4 people will be booked in advance. And with only space for 3 other people (besides myself), please be sure you attend an event you have booked to attend (or if you have to cancel, update it so someone else can take your place). For these formal events there will be a set “Conversation Starter” topic, to try to get people’s ideas going in advance of the meeting. The topics will be detailed on the event listed.
Hope to see you at an event soon, and we can engage in some substantive conversations together! I accept requests to join the group from people who (1) are local to Ktown and (2) have a clear profile picture of their face. A sense of authentic community is important to the group.
Cheers,
Colin
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Upcoming events (2)
See all- Summer/Autumn Reading Group ("Look Again", meeting #1)Lake Ontario Park, Kingston, ON
I will be running a summer/autumn reading group on the new book Look Again by Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein (See https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Look-Again/Tali-Sharot/9781668008201)
We will meet once in August, September and October at Lake Ontario part to read through the book in 3 meetings. This is a book about how our daily routines can impact (for better and worse) are brains and wellbeing. Here the book summary from the publisher’s website:
Have you ever noticed that what is thrilling on Monday tends to become boring on Friday? Even exciting relationships, stimulating jobs, and breathtaking works of art lose their sparkle after a while. People stop noticing what is most wonderful in their own lives. They also stop noticing what is terrible. They get used to dirty air. They stay in abusive relationships. People grow to accept authoritarianism and take foolish risks. They become unconcerned by their own misconduct, blind to inequality, and are more liable to believe misinformation than ever before.
But what if we could find a way to see everything anew? What if you could regain sensitivity, not only to the great things in your life, but also to the terrible things you stopped noticing and so don’t try to change?
Now, neuroscience professor Tali Sharot and Harvard law professor (and presidential advisor) Cass R. Sunstein investigate why we stop noticing both the great and not-so-great things around us and how to “dishabituate” at the office, in the bedroom, at the store, on social media, and in the voting booth. This groundbreaking work, based on decades of research in the psychological and biological sciences, illuminates how we can reignite the sparks of joy, innovate, and recognize where improvements urgently need to be made. The key to this disruption—to seeing, feeling, and noticing again—is change. By temporarily changing your environment, changing the rules, changing the people you interact with—or even just stepping back and imagining change—you regain sensitivity, allowing you to more clearly identify the bad and more deeply appreciate the good.
The first meeting will take place in August, I am posting this early so you have time to order the book (there is no free copy online as it is a new book).Here is an interview with Cass Sunstein to help you determine if you have an interest in this topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJlA8bvLT9YAnd a video by Tali Sharot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTLUEwbhUmM
For the first meeting we will read through the following sections of Part One of the book:
Introduction
Part One: Well-Being- Happiness: On Ice Cream, the Midlife Crisis, and Monogamy.
- Variety: Why You Should Chop Up the Good but Swallow the Bad Whole
- Social Media: How to Wake Up from a Technology Induced Comma
- Resilience: A Crucial Ingredient for a Healthy Mind
We will be sitting in some shade under a tree just past the sheltered area where the bathrooms are located. Please be sure to bring your own lawn chair as that helps ensure we can move to sit where it is quiet as the park can get loud when there are public events being held at that some time.
Hope to see some of you there to discuss and debate this new book.
Cheers,
Colin - Help Save the Grad Club!The Grad Club, Kingston, ON
Dear Kingstonian Philosophers,
Over the past 5 years the Philosophy Meetup (Kingston) group has hosted over 170 events which bring locals together in venues like pubs and Lake Ontario Park to debate and discuss philosophical issues. One of our staple locations for events during the non-summer season has been the Grad Club on Barrie Street. Unfortunately this location is facing a financially precarious future. Any members who would like to support keeping the Club open can make a donation via this page.
I will keep this post open until Sept 1st at 12AM, but this is just an information notice, there is no event actually posted for that day.
Cheers,
Colin
