Ethics

**Description**: Join me to knit or crochet in the warm, friendly environment of Kindred Studios where we can share our skills and ideas. Knitters, crocheters and crafters of all abilities are welcome. The conversation is relaxed as we work on our projects together and it's a great way to make new friends. The Bass Note Cafe is within the studios and will bring great coffee and delicious snacks to our table. **Agenda**: I'll meet you at 1.00pm inside Kindred Studios at the large table near the tiered seating. We have the space available until 3.00pm. **Location**: Kindred Studios 3 Harris St Yarraville Street parking is available nearby in Harris, Cowper, Hyde and Whitehall Streets. There are large red signs on the footpath to guide you to Kindred Studios. If you are coming by train take the Williamstown/Werribee line to Seddon Station. It's then about 10 minutes to walk to the Studios. When you RSVP please click attend on the Event Page and I will be in touch via direct message. I will also be available on the Events Comments page on the day. .

You are welcome to our weekly free meditation classes in Wheelers Hill, a lovely venue with surrounding gardens, lake and water lillies . Learn simple and effective ways to help experience the peace in the state of true meditation. Balance your subtle system to deepen your meditation; watch a short video with simple and practical explanations by Sahaja Yoga founder, Shri Mataji. No physical exercises, postures or special clothing required; chairs are provided. For any inquiries, please call Yogesh - 0469311609. Enjoy!

Meet new people, get into the outdoors, enjoy a conversation, grab a hot drink and let’s go for a walk around Coburg Lake! Wonderful way to start a Saturday morning 😊 We will firstly meet at 9:30am at The Boot Factory cafe. There will be time to order a hot drink, meet and greet then will head to nearby Coburg Lake for walk. We’ve discovered some lovely community gardens in our recent walks. Walk should go for 45-60 mins. Feel free to walk as much or as little as you like. Will make our way back to Boot Factory. Please RSVP if you’d like to join in. This is a FREE event.

This is a weekly event for our community to meet in-person on the beautiful South Melbourne beach for some inspiring mindful movement. We do this practice on weekday mornings before work - but if you can't make it to our weekday morning practice this is your chance to try our practice and meet our community! Specifically the practice is called Good Vibrancy and is a fairly concise 30-minute practice involving a sequence of... \- Breath\-work for inspiration \- Movement for grace \- Compassion for love/gratitude \- Mindfulness for balance \- Visualisation for intention \- Qi Gong for abundance It is designed to align one's whole self (mind, body, spirit) around one's higher ideals - for example freedom and abundance. This not only feels amazing but also, over time, will make success a simple and straight-forward choice - because limitations, distractions and complications will become increasingly irrelevant. If this is your first time doing the practice you will likely feel highly elated from engaging with your fullest self (perhaps for the first time - and on a public beach). This is not a bad thing it's just part of the process of starting a new practice - stick with it and you will feel grounded and refreshed. The visualisation part (Life Visualisation) involves reimagining your past "story" and future "script". So please have a general idea of your ideal life/future in mind and note that if you have unresolved trauma it's not a good time to delve into that aspect of your past. The compassion part of the practice (Heart Invocation) involves a short/silent/personal prayer (because this is an effective method of tuning into abundant, universal love) - if you don't want to pray you can sit this part out but please respect other peoples' choice to pray. Perhaps around 10.45am we will go to a cafe for brunch for about 45-min - if you are attending brunch please purchase a beverage or something to eat! Thanks

Whether you're a Christian or not, this is the place for you! Every Friday night we get together for fun, games, free food and great discussions🙌 Messages for exact address! Come along to see what the Bible says about 'Dating, Friendship, Money, Fear and much more'. Most don't RSVP so we usually have about 10 - 15 attend. Contact for more details! Sean: 0490 696 844 Teigan: 0490 703 387

Hi all Fortnightly dinner and movie at Pentridge Palace cinema in Coburg. Generally get dinner at Jacky Jones then see a fick around 7-7.30pm screening slot. Hope you can make it

Location changed to Botanical Gardens! Weather looks reasonable good on Sunday. Participants are invited to join us for a walk and talk about science, philosophy and technology. There will be a humanist event in the Botanical Gardens afterwards. I believe parking is free far side of the botanical gardens ([near eastern gate B and Tecoma gate C](https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/melbourne-gardens/interactive-map/)) - no longer free everywhere else. **Schedule** **10 am** – Meet outside the Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre (near the Melbourne Observatory Building and the Shrine of Remembrance) **10.30 am –** Venture into the gardens and walk around the outer walkway (anti-clockwise), eventually spiraling inwards towards the lake. **12.30** – Sit somewhere near the lake to have lunch, BYO (note the Terrace Cafe may be closed). **Possible topics:** – Moral realism - a stance independant moral ontology - useful for capturing non-arbitrary moral choice. – Moral anti-realism? – Can AI be fault tolerantly aligned to moral realism? can AI be aligned to fault tolerantly to anti-realism? – Is sentience required for moral reasoning? moral deliberation? Can sentience be a hindrance to moral reasoning? see AI beating humans at Moral Turing Test - [https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ci798x/gpt4_passes_moral_turing_test_after_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1ci798x/gpt4_passes_moral_turing_test_after_a/) – AI Safety, automated persuasion, orthogonality thesis – ChatGPT, future directions in AI – How epistemics (inc science) makes progress – Health, wellness and how to live a good life – Metaethics / ethics – Moral progress and indirect normativity – Latest trends in AI – Economic impacts of AGI, automation, unbounded inequality – UBI - Basic income and universal wealth redistribution – Likelihood of future doom or utopia – Human augmentation, hacking human potential – AI interpretability – ChatGPT, Gemini, ClaudeAI – Automated persuasion, AI dark arts – Future directions in AI – Plato’s cave – Fun theory, value theory Nietzsche: "**All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.** From the process of creative self-discovery one emerges an artist. More often than not, our internal spiritual restoration is accompanied by a physical transformation." Sometimes philosophy discussions feel quite sedentary – hence our experiment to cross pollinate exercise and engaging discussions on philosophy. Exertion of both the mind and body at the same time may lead to a fascinating dynamic. A sedentary lifestyle (and by association, philosophy) has been linked to mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. Ease the anxieties of the armchair philosopher engaging in mental gymnastics with minimal muscle movement – join our raggle-taggle crew of aspiring philosophers walking the talk! Healthy body, healthy mind! Note, bring elemental protection (umbrellas, sunscreen etc)

Where does your body end and your emotions begin? Are we ruled by our rational brains or our irrational emotions? Is it a bit of both, or something even more subtle? Affect theory explores human responses to life. * **[Introduction to Affect Theory: Brian Massumi & Eve Sedgwick (0-5.27 seconds)](youtube.com/watch?si=b0ekwCyHL23BmHEV&v=SeMS8QEYIQU&feature=youtu.be)** 1. What do you think “The affective turn” means ( mid-1990’s evolution of thought) 2. Do you think affect theory helps us understand the urges that humans have that they can’t explain? 3. Focussing on subjective feelings and responses is a contrast to trying to quantify and understand facts about events, how do you feel about that? 4. What do you think about the idea of your body being something that “moves” and “feels”? * **[Spinoza’s Affect and Emotion “affect is a non-conscious experience of intensity” (Shouse, 2005)](youtube.com/watch?si=VohTy1V6AvPLhdm0&v=5bX-H7dYoP0&feature=youtu.be)** 1\. What do you think about Spinoza’s thought? 2\. What do you think about understanding the world through “emotion” instead of with our intellectual analysis? 3\. What emotions/affects do you think are driving some of the big things in culture? 4\. Does the mind connect to the body? How does emotion affect the body? * **[The Rise and Fall of the Main Stream Media From 1:04:28 – 1:11 ish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iwOTyv1gyY&list=PLl3m0F1lodbNKr-4yIGBBU-HmPdHJQ2QF)** 1\. How much do you think “affect” has a role in changing the way people engage with media? 2\. What other forces do you think are involved? 3\. Has the splintering of MSM and the proliferations of new voices and platforms triggered “affects” or the other way around? 4\. Is populism a type of affect? Is it still rising? In force\, or on the wane? **Affect Theory vs. Jordan Peterson’s Worldview** | **Aspect** | **Affect Theory** | **Jordan Peterson’s Worldview** | | ------ | ------------- | --------------------------- | | **Classification** | Post-structuralist; interdisciplinary (philosophy, cultural theory, anthropology) | Modernist; rooted in psychology, Judeo-Christian ethics, evolutionary principles | | **Core Idea** | Focus on pre-conscious intensities, bodily sensations, and affective forces shaping experience | Humans need order, responsibility, and meaning to thrive | | **Epistemology** | Relational; skeptical of universal truths; emphasizes flows and emergent phenomena | Values objective truth, universal principles, hierarchical structures | | **View of Order** | Non-hierarchical; dynamic networks of relations | Hierarchical order is natural and necessary for stability | | **Goal** | Understand how affects circulate in culture, shaping identity and politics | Help individuals orient morally and psychologically in a complex world | **Extra Reading:** Shouse, E. (2005). Feeling, Emotion, Affect. M/C Journal, 8(6). [https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2443](https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/2443)

Hello book lovers, Our book for January is "This Is Happiness" by Niall Williams Change is coming to Faha, a small Irish parish that hasn't changed in a thousand years. For one thing, the rain is stopping. Nobody remembers when it started; rain on the western seaboard is a condition of living. But now – just as Father Coffey proclaims the coming of the electricity – the rain clouds are lifting. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe is idling in the unexpected sunshine when Christy makes his first entrance into Faha, bringing secrets he needs to atone for. Though he can't explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed. As the people of Faha anticipate the endlessly procrastinated advent of the electricity, and Noel navigates his own coming-of-age and his fallings in and out of love, Christy's past gradually comes to light, casting a new glow on a small world. Harking back to a simpler time, *This Is Happiness* is a tender portrait of a community – its idiosyncrasies and traditions, its paradoxes and kindnesses, its failures and triumphs – and a coming-of-age tale like no other. Luminous and lyrical, yet anchored by roots running deep into the earthy and everyday, it is about the power of stories: their invisible currents that run through all we do, writing and rewriting us, and the transforming light that they throw onto our world. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42972008-this-is-happiness

Please join us this Sunday as we explore the human condition. We will meet at the **CAPTAIN MELVILLE**, 34 Franklin St in Melbourne CBD, at 2.00pm for 2.15pm start sharp. There is no pre-requisite preparation necessary, nor a philosophical background; all that is required is a curious mind. These discussions are both a Socrates Cafe style discussion and lively metaphysical dojo, in the spirit of learning and friendly debate, so please feel free to challenge assumptions and be prepared have your own assumptions challenged! Find below some questions to consider, however these are free-ranging events and the below serve merely as a springboard towards a deeper discussion in waters unknown... Some points and questions to consider before the event: * What is it like to be human? What is human nature? How are these words defined? * Does man have a human nature and what is our experience of it? * What can we learn about human nature from religious, spiritual or philosophical schools of thought? * What are emotions, and what is intuition? * People feel 'meaning' across the world in their own ways; what are the implications of this, and is it real? * What does the history of mankind tell us about ourselves and human nature? * Is there a distinct essence or nature that defines human beings apart from other animals? * What is the human condition in and of itself irrespective of time, and what is the human condition today? * How has the human condition evolved over time, and what can this tell us about our future? * How does existentialist philosophy interpret the human condition? * What human nature lurks in the sub-conscious or unconcious, and what does that tell us about ourselves? * How do concepts of good and evil contribute to our understanding of the human condition? * Is suffering an inherent part of the human experience, and if so, how does it shape our understanding of life? * How does the awareness of our mortality affect the human condition and our actions? Hope to see you there!

Join us for a relaxed networking drinks with other couples who value meaningful conversation, intentional living, and want to work on a business or a project together (or already are). This isn’t your average couples’ Meetup. 💡 **Please note:** This event is specifically for couples attending together. RSVPs without a +1 (partner) will be cancelled to keep the balance of the group. 📅 **il Mercato Centrale Melbourne** **📍 Limited to 10 couples** so grab your spot early 🍷**Happy Hour** drink specials from 5:00pm **💬 Conversation Starters** Each time we meet includes a few rotating topics to spark insight and great chats: * A habit that made your life better as a couple * A travel story with a twist (funny, unique, or unexpected) * Something you’re learning right now * A tip on how to work with your partner's personality and communication styles No need to prep, just come ready to connect. We’ll mix up seating halfway through so you meet more than just the couple beside you. **🧠 Who This Is For** * Couples into growth, learning, and intentional living * Those building something together, or who want to * People who want deeper connection, not surface-level chat This isn’t networking. It’s real people and real convos. Just bring yourselves, curiosity, and an open mind. We’ll take care of the rest. **👥 Hosted by Matt & Justine Stuckings** Matt & Justine are the kind of couple who live for deep chats over food, spontaneous adventures, and connecting with people who live life on purpose. Matt’s a 6’4 ex-photographer turned marketer and entrepreneur. He’s into Pickleball, boutique breweries, and discovering weird restaurants and books that make life (and business) better. If it helps him grow or gets him thinking differently, he’s probably already into it. Justine’s a connector at heart. She’s a uni teacher and entrepreneur who loves mentoring, dancing, dark hot chocolate, and surrounding herself with people who think big and care deeply. Together, they host events that feel relaxed but intentional, welcoming but meaningful. They started this event to find more of their people. Curious, kind, growth-minded couples who want more than just small talk.

Please join us this Sunday as we explore the human condition. We will meet at the **CAPTAIN MELVILLE**, 34 Franklin St in Melbourne CBD, at 2.00pm for 2.15pm start sharp. There is no pre-requisite preparation necessary, nor a philosophical background; all that is required is a curious mind. These discussions are both a Socrates Cafe style discussion and lively metaphysical dojo, in the spirit of learning and friendly debate, so please feel free to challenge assumptions and be prepared have your own assumptions challenged! Find below some questions to consider, however these are free-ranging events and the below serve merely as a springboard towards a deeper discussion in waters unknown... Some points and questions to consider before the event: * What is it like to be human? What is human nature? How are these words defined? * Does man have a human nature and what is our experience of it? * What can we learn about human nature from religious, spiritual or philosophical schools of thought? * What are emotions, and what is intuition? * People feel 'meaning' across the world in their own ways; what are the implications of this, and is it real? * What does the history of mankind tell us about ourselves and human nature? * Is there a distinct essence or nature that defines human beings apart from other animals? * What is the human condition in and of itself irrespective of time, and what is the human condition today? * How has the human condition evolved over time, and what can this tell us about our future? * How does existentialist philosophy interpret the human condition? * What human nature lurks in the sub-conscious or unconcious, and what does that tell us about ourselves? * How do concepts of good and evil contribute to our understanding of the human condition? * Is suffering an inherent part of the human experience, and if so, how does it shape our understanding of life? * How does the awareness of our mortality affect the human condition and our actions? Hope to see you there!

Join us at **Good Heavens**, Melbourne's biggest rooftop bar, for a laid back summertime afternoon of socializing and good times with awesome people. Perched above Bourke Street, Good Heavens serves up signature cocktails, craft beers, and delicious bites, with great city views\* 🌇🔆🎉🤩. We have two reserved areas under Andy & Annita. See you there! ☀️🍹

This is the first of several meetings on *Nature's God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic*, by Matthew Stewart. For this meeting, please try to read the first three chapters (pages 1-129 in the paperback). **Where did the ideas come from that became the cornerstone of American democracy?** America’s founders intended to liberate us not just from one king but from the ghostly tyranny of supernatural religion. Drawing deeply on the study of European philosophy, Matthew Stewart brilliantly tracks the ancient, pagan, and continental ideas from which America’s revolutionaries drew their inspiration. In the writings of Spinoza, Lucretius, and other great philosophers, Stewart recovers the true meanings of “Nature’s God,” “the pursuit of happiness,” and the radical political theory with which the American experiment in self-government began. [LINK](https://a.co/d/bkTWJNb) I hope to see you there! Fred

Let's get together in a warm and open atmosphere to talk about ethical non-monogamy and how we actually do it. Ask for advice, give some in return, meet and mingle with your peers. Let's kick back and get to know each other and learn a few things. TOPIC: What would you like to do differently in your relationships going forward this year? What did you do last year that really didn't work? What's your stretch goal? The location of our group will rotate between VA and MD. This week, we'll be in VA back at home with our most frequent host. As usual we'll send out the details on the morning of the event. FOOD: bring food that supports the diet you are undoubtedly on this month. Please consider bringing a vegetarian or vegan option; we do currently have active members who need these options. Cut-up fresh fruit is always great! If you don't feel like schlepping, we also always appreciate a donation. Please note: we share the address on the morning of the meeting, via the messaging/email system here. If you don’t have the details by Friday noon, you will need to message us directly to get them.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Venezuela’s Future—and Ours,”** an analysis of how the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela will affect that nation, the U.S., and the rest of the world, with Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab at American University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-venezuela-future) .] On January 3rd, after a long military buildup, the United States used special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela to stand trial here on criminal charges. The development marked a major turning point in our relationship with Venezuela and the rest of Latin America and raised a host of complex questions, not just for Venezuelans living inside and outside that country but for American citizens and other nations of the world. Coming to the stage to break down what all of this means is Ernesto Castañeda, a scholar of Latin America who has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks on immigration policy and has given dozens of interviews to media outlets around the world in the wake of the U.S. raid. In a talk offering informed perspective on the latest news developments, Professor Castañeda will discuss various theories about why the U.S. conducted the operation to get Maduro out of Venezuela. He’s put our nation’s current plans for Venezuela into context by touching on previous U.S. military interventions in Latin America and beyond. Professor Castañeda will look at the implications of recent events for U.S. politics and U.S. citizens and what such developments tell us about the balance of power in the United States. He’ll examine the distance between decisions made by the White House and public priorities, touching on how it all relates to our immigration policies and our views about peaceful protest and democracy. He’ll consider how the Venezuela raid and our actions since have altered relations between the U.S. and other nations and provide scenarios about what the future might hold. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Life of Frankenstein,”** on the birth, evolution and impact of a tale of man-made monstrosity, with Bernard Welt, an emeritus professor of arts and humanities at George Washington University who frequently lectures on Frankenstein in literature, cinema, and culture. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein) .] Guillermo del Toro’s lush and lovingly produced film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* is just the latest of many iterations of the story to capture the public’s imagination. People have watched Victor Frankenstein give life to his monster in numerous films, on television, and on stage, and even perform “Putting on the Ritz” with him thanks to the comic genius of Mel Brooks. Mary Shelley did not just tell a tale. She spawned the modern genre of speculative fiction and gave rise to a myth that would crop up in debates over nature versus nurture and other matters. Even today it stokes anxieties over the potential impacts of robotics, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering, by evoking the image of a monster turning on its progenitor. Come gain a new appreciation of Mary Shelley’s creation with the help of Dr. Bernard Welt, who has studied the relationship between nightmares and the horror genre and is the author of *Mythomania: Fantasies, Fables, and Sheer Lies in Contemporary American Popular Art.* Dr. Welt will start by telling a literary origin story almost as famous as Frankenstein itself, of how an 18-year-old Shelley started writing *Frankenstein* in 1816 while staying in a villa on Lake Geneva with two of her era’s leading poets, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, her lover. Housebound by foul weather, the three read Gothic tales of ghosts and monsters and challenged each other to produce something even more terrifying. Mary dreamed up a story of a man who defied death by creating a living being out of scraps of deceased men harvested from graveyards and anatomy labs. The resulting novel, *Frankenstein*, published anonymously in 1818, would by that century’s end become a touchstone in philosophical discourse on the nature of humanity and in political discussions of imperialism and populism. By the 21st century, Mary Shelley (as she became) had earned a more significant place in the literary canon than Byron and her husband Shelley. We will examine how this grisly tale became a landmark of modern thought and look at the part played by numerous film adaptations from the first years of cinema to the present day. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From a Theodor von Holst engraving in an 1831 edition of *Frankenstein* published by Colburn and Bentley of London.

Join us for a fun and friendly pickup soccer game in Bethesda! Games will be held at Walter Johnson High School area at 9am every Saturday! We will group up and split into two teams to play Bringing a light and dark shirt is a plus. To make organizing teams easier. No harsh language No harsh fouls Come to play for fun Backup location: Stratton Local Park

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Satanic Panics,”** a look at waves of fear of demonic activity as an American tradition, with Luxx Mishou, cultural historian and former instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and area community colleges. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-satanic-panics](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-satanic-panics) .] The 1980s found the United States gripped by fear of Satanic cults targeting children. They were believed to be corrupting young ones in daycare centers and tempting teens through subliminal messages on heavy metal albums or through the quiet inclusion of demonic rituals in role-playing games. Satanic serial killers supposedly stalked the suburbs. Doctors helped patients uncover what were claimed to be repressed memories of ritualistic satanic abuse. Parents, police, and politicians were urged to protect impressionable youths from both moral and physical danger. With Satanic cults deemed to be a real and material threat, it was a frightening time for everyone, including those who suddenly came under suspicion for doing evil deeds. Then, suddenly, it all faded from public consciousness, just as surely as did eighties fads such mullet haircuts, leg warmers, and Cabbage Patch Kids. Why did it all start? Why did it stop? And has this happened before or since? Hear such questions tackled by Luxx Mishou, a cultural historian and media specialist who has long researched the devious and villainous in cultural artifacts. She’ll discuss moral panics as a longstanding cultural tradition, with each new one stemming from fear of cultural shifts and shaped by the time and place where it occurred. Among the panics we’ll look into are the Red Scare of the 1950s and the public response to the gruesome 1969 murders committed by the Manson Family. Delving into the 1980s panic, Mishou will describe how it began with the 1980 publication of psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder’s memoir *Michelle Remembers*, detailing the suppressed memories of ritualistic abuse reportedly suffered by a patient. As that book quickly became a best seller, its ideas saturated American culture. A California daycare center became the focus of a three-year investigation, followed by three years of trials, based on allegations that its owner had engaged in secret ritualistic abuse of the children in its care. Mishou will lead you through the media that convinced the public that devil worshipers were among them, and she’ll talk about how reactions to imagined threats can have very real social costs. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image by Canva.