Intellectual Discussions

**The theme for this our next meeting is:** Welcome to our friendly and supportive Community. Where do we meet and really connect with other gay men in London? We Do in Covent Garden! # **Theme of the month:** Personal Growth & Empowerment Developing assertiveness and boundary-setting skills. Practicing vulnerability and authentic expression. Exploring creativity, play, and joy as healing. Gratitude, strengths, and future goals. **Our discussion themes would always be advertised in advance.** We are not only changing our name, we will also from now on advertise the topic we’ll be discussing before each meeting, so that you know exactly what to expect before signing up for each particular meeting. Please see the list on our MeetUp profile for potential universal themes relevant to gay/bisexual men, to be covered in our sessions. Ideas are always welcome! *We offer workshops unlike other gay/bisexual men's therapeautic discussion groups.* **A Speaker** We will at times provide a Speaker for our meetings kickstarting interesting and stimulating discussions. The Speaker can be an expert in their field such as for example an author, a therapist or a philosopher but we are welcoming any of our members to be a Speaker or a demonstrator of exercises such as massage, pilates or yoga. Or perhaps you would want to talk about your profession, if you feel it has relevance to our group. You would just have to contact Dan first for a discussion and planning. **Frequency of meetings / fee** In 2026 we’ll only have one meeting per month in person at the City Lit College in Covent Garden and one meeting online. If there is a demand for more in person meetings we’ll consider having more. We are happy to confirm that our entry prices won’t be raised and that in person meetings remain at £10. Online meetings will be FREE in January and February after which it will be £5 to attend. **Walks / museum visits** We will continue offering our occasional walking trips and also now include gay/bisexual themed history walks and visits to Museums. WHAT WE ARE: We are a group of supportive and insightful great men and we are looking forward to including you - this is what we do: CONNECTING - It is a place where you will be able to connect with other gay and bi-sexual men and where you can exchange your life experiences with them and your everyday feelings, no matter what those feelings may be - and also a place where you will be able to just be with others who live similar lives to you. EXPLORING SAFELY WITH SUPPORT - It is a place where you will experience support and growth and where you can feel safe enough to explore and reflect your feelings and life stories. Sharing is at the heart of the group but you share however much you are comfortable with - you're in charge. CREATIVE STATE REGISTERED THERAPY - It is a therapeutic discussion group which at times offers workshops and borrows elements from Creative Arts Psychotherapies. The group is based on the Creative Arts Psychotherapy/Dramatherapy and counselling work I provided ongoing for the charity Positive East in London. WHO IS IT FOR: This group is for men over 18 years old who either identifies as gay or bi-sexual or men who has sex with men - or feel emotionally connected to other men. SOCIAL OPPERTUNITY: We offer a social oppertunity in the local pub after the meetings. New members are always welcome as as well as our much appreciated familiar faces! Address: City Lit, 1-10 Keeley St, London WC2B 4BA Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM The social part: There is certainly an opprtunity for social drinks after each meeting. Cost: £10.00 **PayPal:** **[https://www.paypal.me/wellnesssupport](https://www.paypal.me/wellnesssupport)** **Credit card:** \*\*card payment with SQUARE online: ​ \*\* **[https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLG8ZV8FJJDYS/checkout/DK4VVAQGAV3LIM2K5V4JIX2Y](https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLG8ZV8FJJDYS/checkout/DK4VVAQGAV3LIM2K5V4JIX2Y)** WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU WHETHER YOU ARE A BRAND NEW TO THE GROUP OR A FAMILIAR FACE :) YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MADE TO FEEL WELCOME. Ask to join our WhatsApp group, if you liked and enjoyed your experience with us, for regular updates and social interactions. All the best, Dan

​Join us for the 25th London PyTorch Meetup! 🔥 ​We have our first speaker confirmed: **Peter Romov** – Open Source Contributor, 2. PyTorch/Opacus Autoresearch for Discovering State-of-the-Art LLM Adversarial Attacks ​More speakers to be announced.

Every week is a badminton academy for improver/intermediate/advanced standard. I also run thirteen teams that play in leagues out of the academy. Unfortunately this class does not cater for beginners! Wanting people who wish to enjoy and improve with games and advice with a coach who has played county and national level badminton, and has also played for England. Just come along, bring a racket, very friendly atmosphere! Class from 7.30 - 9.30pm weekly, £14.00 per session or £35.00 for three sessions t be paid up front and must be used within six months, payable by cash only. I have coached players from beginner to international standard. Please message me with any questions. Thanks

**Meet2Click Curated Conversations** Each Meet2Click Curated Conversation dinner centres around a carefully chosen topic or shared interest, designed to spark thoughtful conversation and meaningful connection. Modern life is often driven by success, productivity, and constant achievement — yet we rarely pause to ask a deeper question: **What does happiness really mean?** Many of us equate happiness with achievement, status, or temporary pleasure. But research suggests happiness is something more intentional — built through meaning, satisfaction, and connection. If we don’t define it consciously, we risk chasing the wrong version of it. At this small-group dinner experience, we will explore: • Can happiness be built? • Does success actually make us happy? • Is happiness more about meaning or enjoyment? Inspired by the happiness framework developed by Harvard professor and bestselling author Arthur Brooks, guests will receive a short overview of his key ideas two days before the event to reflect on ahead of our discussion. This is not a debate. It is not a lecture. It’s a relaxed, friendly conversation around the table with curious, open-minded people. If you value thoughtful conversation and meaningful connection, join us for an evening dedicated to exploring what happiness truly means — and whether we are living in alignment with it. **Launch Season Benefit** During our initial Meet2Click dinners, guests will enjoy **up to 50% off food** at the restaurant. This introductory benefit is available for a limited launch period. Food and drinks are paid individually, directly with the restaurant. ⸻ Details Location: Shiro Sushi, London Date: 27 March **Ticket price:** £15 per person *(includes your seat and contribution to the evening — food and drinks ordered and paid individually at the restaurant)* Seats are intentionally limited to encourage meaningful conversation and genuine connection. Additional Information: Photos or videos may be taken during the event for promotional purposes. Should you wish to opt out, please notify the host upon arrival, and your preferences will be respected.

It’s been a while since we caught up. Let’s get together and discover some London Wine. Looking forward to seeing you 😊

Welcome to our regular club night session for intermediate level players and above! Sessions cost £10 for Members, and £11 for Non-Members; please contact an organiser to discuss becoming a Member. Session are held at: Twyford Sports Centre Twyford Crescent Acton W3 9PP We have 3 courts from 8pm to 10pm. Only high quality feather shuttlecocks are used. Shower/change room facilities are available. A water fountains is available outside the venue, though we recommend bringing your own water in case it is not available. We sometimes head to the local pub (The Red Lion & Pineapple) after the session, and all are welcome to join. **Payment Information** We accept either cash or bank transfer payment using the details below: Amount: £10 (Members) / £11 (Non-Members) Acc Name: The Addison Exiles Badminton Club Acc No: 50229160 Sort Code: 30-90-89 Reference: Your Name **RSVPs** Each session has 18 places, and a waitlist is available. Please be conscientious of players on the waitlist and change your RSVP if you can no longer attend. No shows will be charged in full. We reserve the right to turn away anyone who has previously not turned up and hasn’t paid. If you’re signing up to a session for the first time, please note that a committee member will assess your playing level and make a recommendation for future sessions. **Directions** Free parking is available on site, behind the main building. Bus options: 207, 218 Nearest National Rail Station: Acton Central Nearest Tube Station: Acton Town / Ealing Common We look forward to seeing you at the session!

*Is privacy a fundamental human right?* *Should privacy ever be sacrificed for security?* *How does surveillance change how we behave?* *Is privacy necessary for democracy?* This time we will be discussing the **right to privacy** in the relative privacy of an upstairs room of a North London pub! No walk this time (due to a broken toe)! Instead we will head indoors and experiment with a different format - a talk and discussion session. Meet at 2pm at the Star of Kings pub in King's Cross, upstairs in the green room. If you want to do some reading on the subject I recommend **The Right to Oblivion** by Lowry Pressly: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Oblivion-Privacy-Good-Life/dp/067430490X A YouTube video on the same book by Unsolicited Advice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5sx5nGNIyc If you have any other recommendations on the subject feel free to post in the commends below. There will be a short presentation then group discussions. This group encourages friendly, constructive conversations rather than confrontational debates; so give everyone space to talk, be respectful and actively listen to others. It's not about 'winning' a debate but about expressing your opinion and learning about other people's views. Admission £5, if you are a student, unemployed or retired then you can attend for free. You can pay in cash or card on the walk or online with this link: [https://pay.tide.co/products/philosophy-kfDyHrXZ](https://pay.tide.co/products/philosophy-kfDyHrXZ) **This event is supported by the Royal Institute of Philosophy.**

Do you want to meet new people in a relaxing chill atmosphere surrounded by new books? Do you dislike loud and smelly places like pubs and clubs? This is the event for you. Science and Philosophy Book Club is creating a new kind of meetup where people who love books and knowledge can meet new friends in a big book shop. We will explore around different sections of the book shop together as a group while making interesting conversations with each other. We will go to both fiction and non-fiction areas. If you feel shy and feel nervous to come alone, I will make sure you will feel comfortable and accomodate to your needs. I will help introduce you to others so you can go over the barrier of anxiety when approaching a new person. We will meet on the ground floor lounge area of Doubletree Hilton Hotel at 6 p.m. It is an amazing cosy bar with classy vibes. We will wait for everyone to show up while getting some drinks and socializing. At 7 p.m we will head to the Waterstones book store near Russel Square and UCL. After we explore the book store, we will come back to the hotel bar and stay there for the rest of the night. This event requires £5 donation to cover the venue fees. You can pay via cash or card. Thank you for helping the book club!

In every society there will come a time when the conditions of life are no longer acceptable for people to tolerate. Maybe your government hasn't listened to the people's requests year after year, and small problems have become big ones. Maybe your government is corrupt, selling its people out for any bribe it can get. Maybe the streets are unsafe, the food is scarce, and the future looks darker than the present. At what point does revolution become necessary? When should we rise up and start a revolution? Can a government ever be so bad that any alternative is better? Should revolution be a last resort? and how do we know when we have reached the last resort? Can violence ever be justified in the pursuit of a better society? \*Please do your own research and share resources related to this topic in the comment section\* #======# Donation! Thank you for being a member. I have made a donation page for those who want to help with the costs. [https://examinedlife.uk/donation/](https://examinedlife.uk/donation/) #======# Group chat We have a telegram group chat and here is a link for the front door: [https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk](https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk) #======# The Examined Life, "Let's Discuss..." session is an open discussion. The format of this event will be: 13:15 - Free flow group discussion about the topic. 14:00 ish - We will be splitting into smaller groups for more engaging discussion about what interests each of you. 16:00 - End of the official meetup. Most often attendees stay and continue discussing up to around 18:00. #======# Please RSVP if you can commit to attending and change your RSVP if something comes up. Inaccurate RSVPs can keep potential attendees on the waiting list and makes it difficult to plan for room sizes and bookings. Art work: tank man tiananmen Square 1989 by Jeff Widener at Associated Press

**Current affairs discussion/open debate based on talking points from political compass quiz (2hr approx)** Familiarity with political compass quiz - which measures social and economic positions to give you a political position - recommended but not essential https://www.politicalcompass.org/test/en?page=1 - 3/4 positions from the political compass quiz discussed - members take instinctive vote before, then debate, and vote again to see if views changed - Discussion in 1 big group or 2/3 groups depending on numbers At the end of the meetup, we all come together and each share one thought from someone else that they found interesting. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-

⚠️ **Please read any of the books voted below** 🙏🏽, and avoid last minute AI summaries. This is a **book club** after all! 😊 **How Emotions Are Made** by Lisa Feldman Barrett **The Better Angels of Our Nature** by Steven Pinker Join us for Deeper Discussions, where we dive into thought-provoking non-fiction books that challenge perspectives, inspire growth, and spark meaningful conversations. Whether you're an avid reader or just curious about exploring new ideas, this is a space to reflect, share, and gain new insights into the world around us. 🌍💡 **How does it work?** * The above books have already been voted on for reading * We will split into groups based on the book you've read 💬 * Everyone shares summary / thoughts 🧠 * Focused Discussion on a specific chapter or topic / theme from the book for 30 minutes 📚 * Open Q&A regarding the book and any related topics ❓ **What to Expect?** 🔍 **Deep Discussions**: We’ll explore key themes, insights, and arguments from this month’s two books 💬📚 💡 **Critical Thinking & Reflection**: Engage in conversations that go beyond surface-level takeaways. Challenge perspectives, question assumptions, and discover new ways of thinking. 🤔✨ 🌿 **Personal & Collective Growth**: Non-fiction books have the power to transform our understanding of society, relationships, and ourselves 🧠🚀 **How to get the most out of this event?** 📝 **Read the Book:** While reading the full book is ideal, even if complete significant amount can help you engage in the discussion. 📖✨ 🗣 **Respect & Openness:** Every perspective matters. This is a space for discussion, not debate. Stay curious, listen actively, and engage with an open mind. 🙏🌱 🤝 **Be Ready to Share & Learn:** What resonated with you? What challenged you? Personal reflections make the discussion richer and more meaningful. 💡🌍 📌 **Why a Non-Fiction Book Club?** 📖 **Expand Your Perspective:** Learn from diverse ideas, and real-world experiences. 🌏✨ 🧠 **Foster Growth:** Engage in stimulating conversations that challenge and refine your thinking. 💭🔄 💬 **Deepen Connections:** Connect with like-minded individuals who value insightful discussions and continuous learning. 🤝📚 **Who is this event for?** * You love exploring ideas that shape the world. 🌎 * You enjoy thought-provoking discussions. 🗣 * You want to engage in meaningful conversations beyond small talk. 💡 * You’re open to challenging your assumptions and learning from others. 🔄 **What's in it for you?** * 💡 **A Space for Reflection:** Step back and think critically about important ideas. * 📚 **New Perspectives:** Gain insights from both the book and fellow participants. * 🤝 **Deep Connections:** Meet others who share a love for learning and growth. **Ready to dive into big ideas?** 🌊 Join us for an evening of engaging, insightful discussions on a book that **challenges**, **inspires**, and **expands** the way we think. 🌟 We really hope to see you there! 👋 **About Deeper Connections** We have a mission at Deeper Connections to improve the quality of people's lives through conversation. All our events are centred around the concept of connecting deeply, because we believe we all deserve to be seen, felt and understood for who we really are. To have the 'deeper conversation' approach when relating with others can change our lives and can change the world. **Our Values** * **Respect:** Treat everyone with kindness and consideration. ❤️ * **Open-mindedness:** Be open to different perspectives and ideas. 🧠💡 * **Active Participation:** Share your thoughts and engage in meaningful discussions. 🗣️💬 **Staying in touch** Interested in finding out about all the events sooner than on Meetup or staying in touch beyond the events, you can join our WhatsApp channel and community using 👉🏽 [Deeper Connections WhatsApp Channel](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6CBAdIN9ijrEYdv33z) 👉🏽 [Deeper Connections WhatsApp Community](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EqGsmF3021RKTwBpGcuR80) **Keep This Event Free 💝** If this event brings you something meaningful, you can help others access the same transformational experience. Whether it's £5 or £15, every contribution keeps these events accessible to everyone in our community. You'll find a QR code on your conversation sheet during the event, or you can contribute here #SupportYourCommunity 👉🏽 [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/deeperconnections) 👉🏽 [Buy Me A Coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/deeperconnections) 👉🏽 [PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DDSNCCFCYUEB2)

**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?** Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎 Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic. The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌 📓 **HOW DOES IT WORK?** Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ja2H9lXYtWX8RdCKHw6qNK), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going. When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture. **General Meeting Agenda** Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline: * 13:45-14:00 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the ‘official' start. * 14:00-14:05 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines. * 14:05-14:45 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them. * 14:45 - We do a group conclusion of the things we discussed, and then we typically take a photo and go on our way :) If you don't want to be in the group photo, there's no pressure, it's just a way to close out the meeting. You are free to walk around Calthorpe's Community Gardens afterwards. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend, and we operate on donations. If you'd like to donate to support our running costs, that helps keep our group self-sustaining. Donations are 100% voluntary, but your contribution is appreciated! QR codes to donate will be present. Tea’s and coffees and are paid by the individual should they wish to have them. **💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY** 🗣 “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam 🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel **🤓 FAQ** * What will we talk about? What's the topic? The topic for the week is shared every week in the Whatsapp group before the session. We try to add the topic to the comment section on this event page as well but if you don’t see it, the topic and the jump-off points will be in our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ja2H9lXYtWX8RdCKHw6qNK). * Do I need to study or read anything to attend? No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what YOU think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it, but it's not required. * Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on? The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school. * Is it mostly men that attend? Surprisingly, no! Although philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms. * Can I come alone? Of course you can, we encourage it :) * Can I be late? Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation. * Where do you meet? The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ja2H9lXYtWX8RdCKHw6qNK) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/). 🤝**POLICY** To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment. **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY - Making Philosophy Available To All.** ✨ Practical Philosophy hosts weekly, in-person meetups in 25+ countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ \*\*\* Join our [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ja2H9lXYtWX8RdCKHw6qNK) 👈 Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/?hl=en) 👈 Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club) 👈

So this month's prompt is more general. I think we can all agree that we are living in "unique" times that require coping skills. I think that one role and/or purpose of philosophy is to help us deal with our daily lives and our "unique" times. So, let's share our feelings and thoughts about which philosopher/philosophy we turn to in order to deal with our crazy events. Who/what helps you stay focused in your daily life and helps you sleep at night. I find that Stoicism with a little philosophical pessimism mixed in goes a long way in helping me deal with what I see as very destructive, fearful and mean spirited public policies at both the state and federal levels. Hope to see you on March 28th!

We may pick a specific topic and post in advance or may discuss current events and various ad hoc topics . We would love to spend time hanging out and getting to know one another. Atheist, agnostics, other non-theists, and atheist-friendly people are welcome to join us. Note: COUNT operates a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions (http://www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions/) to promote discussions among members and visitors.

Join us for a casual chat over coffee & tea at Grandview Grind! Come out and meet some new people, enjoy your favorite drink, and make some new friends!

This 1967 film is widely regarded as one of the best American movies ever made. Now remembered almost as much for its Simon and Garfunkel music as its deadpan comedy and being the role that established Dustin Hoffman as the hottest actor in Hollywood. It became a cultural icon for capturing the spirit of 60s angst of a young man on the make, while garnering a batch of Oscar nominations. After watching the movie on your own, join us to relive (or experience!) those feelings at our discussion.

Let’s meet and wander the galleries and enjoy a spring evening out downtown! Meeting place and approx route, tba. *Fearure photo by Chalk Goblin

The Humanist Monthly Program is our longest running event and still a community favorite. In the old days it used to be called "Going to HCCO" and we still like to think of it as our flagship event. We will be hearing from Becca Powell, Director of Advocacy and Outreach at Unchained At Last, an organization whose mission is dedication to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and systems change. Unchained At Last's mission clearly meshes and addresses several of our Humanist Ten Commitments. Becca will educate us about an issue many of us may not be familiar with--but should be. Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

...and speaking of breakthrough roles: who can forget the first time we saw Tom Cruise singing Bob Seeger in his underwear? Often considered an updated 1983 version of The Graduate, the movie sparkles with memorable lines and original music. I only regret that I was never told that "Princeton could use someone like Bob..." See the movie first and join us for some "Cruisin'"