What we’re about
If you're new to the area or are looking to expand your social circle with like minded people who enjoy thinking about life a little more deeply, then this is the group for you.
Each week we choose a topic based on philosophy, psychology or sociology, to informally discuss and debate in a central Cambridge location (in summer by the river, and in winter in a coffee shop or pub). During the summer, the topic and venue are announced on Tues or Weds, once we have an idea of Sunday's weather forecast.
Example areas we discuss include:
How we construct our identity, consumerism, time, what is right or wrong, how to lead a good life, how society forces us to conform and 'fit in'
We're always looking for interesting subjects to discuss, so do make suggestions. You don't have to lead the discussion but you're welcome to if you'd like.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- A Visit to WittgensteinMagdalene Bridge, Cambridge
This is a one-off Saturday event, in addition to Sunday's regular discussion.
We shall walk from Magdalene Bridge to Ascension Parish Burial Ground, which has been described as Britain's brainiest cemetery. Philosophers there include Wittgenstein, Elizabeth Anscombe, Peter Geach, the dazzling star F. P. Ramsey, and the sensible (but greatly admired by the Bloomsbury Group) G. E. Moore. Among the scientists are the astrophysicist A. S. Eddington and the nuclear physicist John Cockroft. There is also the anthropologist James George Frazer, author of The Golden Bough.
You can find information about the cemetery on the links given on this page:
https://rbphilo.com/ascension.htmlWe shall meet at Magdalene Bridge on Bridge Street, in the area in front of Prezzo and Cambridge Wine Merchants, on the right hand side of Bridge Street and just before the bridge as you head north out of Cambridge. I shall be there by 1.45 pm, and we shall set off at 2 (OK, maybe 2.05). We shall walk up Magdalene Street, Castle Street and Huntingdon Road. The lane to the cemetery, All Souls Lane, is on the left, just after the junction with Storey's Way. If you happen to arrive late, please do set off in pursuit.
We can return to town along Storey's Way, taking us past some of the grander mansions of Cambridge and the entrance to Churchill College. Just before that entrance, on the right hand side of the road, is number 76. It is now a hostel for the college, but it was the home of Wittgenstein's doctor and Wittgenstein died there. There is a high hedge in front of the house, but if we look through the gap for the entrance we shall see a blue plaque recording Wittgenstein's time there.
We can then continue to the end of Storey's Way and turn left into Madingley Road. Another house to note is 6 Madingley Road, which is set back from the road on the left hand side. It is now known as Marshall House and serves as the President's Lodge for Lucy Cavendish College. It was the home of the economist Alfred Marshall (who is also buried in the cemetery we are visiting - Plot 2, grave 2D 2 - and whose name is borne by the Economics Faculty Library on the Sidgwick Site) and his wife Mary Paley, also an economist and (unlike her husband) a proponent of education for women.
Practical notes
There are no places to buy refreshments on the way, so you may like to bring something with you. Some of us might repair to a café on our return.
The ground in the cemetery is uneven and may have small pits in it, so please take care. Walking around is at your own risk.
- How will humanity end - and can we avoid it ?Near The Mill. On the grass by the river with our bovine friends, Cambridge
THE VENUE: By the River
The forecast for Sunday is hot and sunny, so we plan to meet outdoors by the river. But things can change so please look out for updates before you leave home. There is no attendee limit.
Etiquette
Our discussions are friendly and open. We are a discussion group, not a for-and-against debating society. But it helps if we try to stay on topic. And we should not talk over others, interrupt them, or try to dominate the conversation.There is often a waiting list for places, so please cancel your attendance as soon as possible if you subsequently find you can't come.
WhatsApp groups
We have two WhatsApp groups. One is to notify events, including extra events such as meeting for a meal or a drink during the week which we don't normally put on the Meetup site. The other is for open discussion of whatever topics occur to people. If you would like to join either or both groups, please send a note of the phone number you would like to use to Richard Baron on: website.audible238@passmail.net. (This is an alias that can be discarded if it attracts spam, hence the odd words.)THE TOPIC: How will humanity end - and can we avoid it ?
Thank you to Martine for suggesting this week's topic. It was prompted by an article in the Guardian this week: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/02/self-termination-history-and-future-of-societal-collapse
Two minutes' walk from our riverside meeting place is the CSER - the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, "an interdisciplinary research centre within the University of Cambridge dedicated to the study and mitigation of existential and global catastrophic risks." https://www.cser.ac.uk
Why have historical civilisations declined and fallen ? Could the same happen to us or our descendants ? What is the most likely cause ? And what, if anything, can we do to avoid our demise - or at least put it off a bit ?
Whatever the cause, it is possible that at least some of us would survive to start over again. Would we learn the lessons of history so as not to repeat the mistakes of Humanity v1.0 ? What might that future look like ?
Would be it be a bad thing if humanity eventually disappeared ? What justifications could we make for deserving our continued survival. Or would the planet (and the universe) be better off without us ?
Some of our familiar vocabulary on this topic comes from the Bible and, in particular, the Book of Revelation, e.g. Armageddon, apocalypse. It details a series of visions of escalating disasters, including plagues, wars, and the rise of evil forces; earthquakes, the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of stars. Even a secular reading may see this as a prediction, and acceptance, of the inevitable end of humanity.
Is it inevitable that we should go the way of the dinosaurs or are we somehow a 'special case', either in our rights or our abilities to survive forever, in some form or other ?
Assuming that the world doesn't end this week, we look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning by the river.
