Think & Drink! - Happy Hours, Cafes & Online Discussions

What rights do/should animals have?

I've never quite grasped how we have come to acceptable discrimination between different types of animals. If we have bred them to be cute enough they get more special treatment from others. For instance it is illegal for dogs or cats to be slaughtered for food the same way chickens and cows are.

Or even among one animal certain practices are acceptable and some are not. We can cut chickens' heads off but we can't arrange for them to fight each other for sport. How do we draw lines like these and should we?

Is eating meat immoral? If it is less moral than cannibalism what makes animals different than us, if both are capable of offering nourishment?

Should pets have the same level of legal protection as human children? Can pet ownership be viewed as enslavement of an animal if it is against its will? This topic can go in a number of directions, intentionally so. Should be interesting.

What are your thoughts? Come join us for a fun discussion! This group is intended to welcome people of all opinions and backgrounds (Including you Calvinists!! Sure I have my hot take but want to hear more from you and will be respectful). As for the atheists and agnostics, be sure to bring popcorn.

Rule of etiquette: The goal is to have a productive free-flowing discussion, while also giving everyone a fair chance to participate accordingly. When multiple people are trying to get a word in, we'll use the "Raise Hand" feature, but if someone makes a point on their turn and someone wants to add a very quick response or follow-up, some speaking out of turn is allowed to make some quick headway on a point. Ultimately let's all try to be mindful of people waiting patiently, but also not overly robotic with taking turns.

Hope you can join us!

What's on your mind? What's your reaction to the news for the week? Any recent epiphanies lately? Have any of your views been recently challenged? This is an open topic, open discussion about virtually anything you like. Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Controversial, Trending... Anything and everything! We welcome all views and opinions; the only requirement is tolerance of other people's views. This will be a weekly recurring event. I might not be able to attend this or I may only drop in for a few minutes at a time. There have been requests to do these events more often but my schedule is limited, and there are also times when I am on a philosophy kick but do not have anything scheduled! Having this recurring event will give everyone the opportunity to join & chat more often, and will satisfy my spontaneous jonesing for a meaningful chat with good unlike-minded folks. Hope you can make it! (The virtual room is setup so everyone in the group should be able to self-moderate in case I cannot join. If anyone is sabotaging or causing disruption in the group please message me directly and I will address.)

What's on your mind? What's your reaction to the news for the week? Any recent epiphanies lately? Have any of your views been recently challenged? This is an open topic, open discussion about virtually anything you like. Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Controversial, Trending... Anything and everything! We welcome all views and opinions; the only requirement is tolerance of other people's views. This will be a weekly recurring event. I might not be able to attend this or I may only drop in for a few minutes at a time. There have been requests to do these events more often but my schedule is limited, and there are also times when I am on a philosophy kick but do not have anything scheduled! Having this recurring event will give everyone the opportunity to join & chat more often, and will satisfy my spontaneous jonesing for a meaningful chat with good unlike-minded folks. Hope you can make it! (The virtual room is setup so everyone in the group should be able to self-moderate in case I cannot join. If anyone is sabotaging or causing disruption in the group please message me directly and I will address.)

What's on your mind? What's your reaction to the news for the week? Any recent epiphanies lately? Have any of your views been recently challenged? This is an open topic, open discussion about virtually anything you like. Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Controversial, Trending... Anything and everything! We welcome all views and opinions; the only requirement is tolerance of other people's views. This will be a weekly recurring event. I might not be able to attend this or I may only drop in for a few minutes at a time. There have been requests to do these events more often but my schedule is limited, and there are also times when I am on a philosophy kick but do not have anything scheduled! Having this recurring event will give everyone the opportunity to join & chat more often, and will satisfy my spontaneous jonesing for a meaningful chat with good unlike-minded folks. Hope you can make it! (The virtual room is setup so everyone in the group should be able to self-moderate in case I cannot join. If anyone is sabotaging or causing disruption in the group please message me directly and I will address.)