Ontology

The MLAI Meetup is a community for AI researchers and professionals which hosts monthly talks on exciting research. Our format is: * 6:00 - 6:20: Socializing * 6:20 - 6:40: Announcements and AI news * 6:40 - 7:40: Talk(s) and Q&A * 7:40 - 8:00 Networking * 8:00: Head to the nearest pub for dinner **THREE amazing talks tonight:** 1. **Chaehan So: “Deep Listening AI: A Psychologist's Blueprint for Building a Virtual Friend”** 2. **Dushan Karovich-Wynne: “aigogo: Packaging AI Agents for Production”** 3. **Adam "Spidey" Purdie & Rohan Nowell: "Meet ABI AI in the real world"** Talk descriptions and speaker bios: **Adam "Spidey" Purdie & Rohan Nowell: "Meet ABI AI in the real world"** **Synopsis:** Andromeda's purpose is to build technology that strengthens connections and preserves purpose in people’s lives. This purpose shapes what we build and how we build it. The soul of the product matters as much as its capabilities, and our values are encoded through everyday decisions. Abi is our friendly humanoid robot who is built for this purpose. Where she most strongly differs from a LLM chatbot is in embodiment, she shares a physical environment with you. This comes with a whole new range of challenges, she doesn’t just need to know what to say to hold a conversation, she now also needs to control her body language through gestures. Spidey and Rohan will go through the purpose of Andromeda, how Abi is driving this and how we incorporate machine learning into her physical communication. **Speaker Bios:** **Adam Purdie Spidey**, Mad Scientist / Engineering Manager. Spidey regular meetup goer is best known for his ambitions to take over the world with an army of robotic spiders - furiously developing the spiders and other cuddly horrors by night, by day Spidey is an Engineering Manager in charge of customer applications and platform automation (SRE/Dev/Sec/Ops) and physical robotics. My team do awesome things and I give them all the direction, certainty and space to do it. **Rohan Nowell** is a Machine Learning Engineer at Andromeda Robotics with over 10 years of experience in robotic and autonomous systems. His broad expertise spans control systems, mechanical engineering, physics modelling, and autonomy, including work on uncrewed defence vehicles and miniature robots from his PhD at Monash University. He is currently focused on the complex challenges of Human-Robot Interaction, specifically optimizing for 'delightfulness' in embodied AI systems. **Dushan Karovich-Wynne: “aigogo: Packaging AI Agents for Production”** **Synopsis:** aigogo ( https://github.com/aupeachmo/aigogo )is an open-source project exploring what it actually takes to package, ship, and run AI agents in real production environments. In this talk, I’ll walk through how to use aigogo to package and distribute a real agent that does useful work. This talk isn’t about a finished framework, but an open exploration of what it takes to package and run AI agents in real production environments. Using aigogo as a concrete example, we’ll look at the practical tradeoffs that show up once AI systems move beyond experimentation and start behaving like deployable services. The session is designed to be collaborative and discussion-driven, drawing on the experiences of engineers and data scientists in the room. The goal is to surface what matters most in practice and to help shape the roadmap for aigogo and similar open-source efforts going forward. **Speaker Bio:** Dushan is the founder of Subrosa AI (www.subrosa.ai), he is building at the intersection of AI, risk mitigation, and governance, with a focus on making AI systems secure, auditable, and trustworthy in production environments. On top of his companies products which address data leakage and governance challenges as well as production-level AI agents, Dushan builds and maintains open-source projects that help people instrument, understand, sandbox and distribute AI agents. Outside of work, he's a lifelong dog lover who has been known to pull over to talk to dogs. **Chaehan So: “Deep Listening AI: A Psychologist's Blueprint for Building a Virtual Friend”** **Abstract:** What if AI could truly listen—not just respond with generic empathy, but recognize when you're avoiding a difficult topic, stuck in a thinking loop, or seeking validation you won't accept? In this talk, psychological-researcher-turned-AI-startup-founder Chaehan So shares what building Virtual Friend revealed about creating AI for deep emotional conversations. You'll discover why common approaches like fine-tuning and RAG fail for psychological applications—and what actually works. Key takeaways: * Why "respond with empathy" prompts don't work (and what to do instead) * How to engineer psychological awareness into AI conversations * The hidden patterns that unfold across a conversation—revealing what someone can't say directly Whether you're building AI products, interested in mental health tech, or curious about the intersection of psychology and AI, you'll leave with practical insights applicable far beyond chatbots. **Speaker Bio:** Dr. Chaehan So bridges psychology and AI to create technology that genuinely understands people. As founder of Virtual Friend, he's building an AI companion specifically designed to support young adults navigating anxiety, loneliness, and life transitions—combining clinical listening techniques with cutting-edge language models. With a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, Dr. So brings psychological research methodology to AI development. His interdisciplinary background spans social psychology (Humboldt University Berlin), engineering (TU Berlin), and management (ESCP France), with previous experience as Assistant Professor of Information & Interaction Design at Yonsei University, South Korea. His mission: making AI that doesn't just talk to you, but truly listens.

Welcome to the **Tricky Tuesday** Meet Up! This is a smaller event in most respects - smaller capacity, smaller games - but still the same sized fun! Come join us to learn a new game and meet some new people. * This event was created primarily to play and explore **modern** **trick taking games** and **smaller card games** which can be played on more limited table space. * As this is a smaller event, please note it is a bit more casual. Find the group at the table/s, come over and join - we're a welcoming bunch. * Please **bring some games** to this event if you can and be prepared to teach them if you do. **There are** **no games available at the venue** but I will always bring a few. Please consider others when coming and in the lead up to the event. We want as many people there as possible. If you are unable to attend mark yourself as such as soon as you can so others can be notified and attend. There's an FAQ below but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out. Your tricky friend, Dave **FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS** **What is a trick taking game? Good question you handsome person.** * Generally speaking, a trick taking game is a card game which is played in a series of rounds known as ***tricks***. * Each trick is evaluated to determine a winner or ***taker*** of that trick and then will usually start - or ***lead*** *-* the next trick. * The goal is usually tied to either winning or losing a number of tricks. This may also come in the form of you guessing how many tricks you will win - known as a ***bid***. * Some games may have a suit that always wins - known as a ***trump***. * Most trick taking games are **competitive** needing between 3-5 players, others are **cooperative**, there are also solo and two-player trick taking games as well! * Popular trick taking/trick taking adjacent games you may have heard of: [The Crew](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/324856/the-crew-mission-deep-sea), [Skull King](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150145/skull-king), [Cat in the Box](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345972/cat-in-the-box-deluxe-edition), [Scout](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291453/scout), [Fox in the Forest](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221965/the-fox-in-the-forest), the classic games of [Spades](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/592/spades) and [Hearts](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6887/hearts), **What makes a Trick Taking game fun?** * There's so much to trick taking games! They're generally quick to teach, quick to play, have interesting decision spaces, and a wide variety of novelty. Even the classics though can be played thousands of times without getting tiresome. Part of the fun is in the interaction with others, assessing their moves and countering them, and how to win (or lose) at the right times. You have to stay on your toes, adapt frequently, and keep tabs on the other players, what they have played, and what they may play next! **Do I need to know how to play/have played a trick taking game before?** * Not at all, but it is good to understand the basics and general terminology so you can pick things up a bit easier on the night. You can check out [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O7QyhKmCsk) for a bit of a general breakdown . **Is this event free?** * Yes, but please support the venue by purchasing a drink or two. **I'm on the waitlist can I still come?** * Unfortunately, no. We have limited capacity and must abide by it. **I don't have a game to bring, is that okay?** * Generally it will be okay, but it is encouraged to bring and share a game where you can! You can always bring a standard deck of cards or tarot cards and learn a card game or two as well! **Can I bring a guest?** * Unfortunately, unless they have signed up too it won't be possible. We have a strict limit on guests and the event would fill up too quickly otherwise. **How do I get to the venue?** * The 86 Tram is your best bet and has a stop pretty much right outside of the venue. * There are two train stations (Westgarth and Northcote) which are within walking distance. * Parking is available in the area but can get busy. If you don't mind a little walk there is parking down the adjacent street. **Dave, I worry you will win all the games we play. Such an intelligent and beautiful man, you must be a master of the tricks, is this true?** * Firstly - thank-you for the kind words, but secondly - no. I suck at trick taking games and lose more than I win. Yet, I enjoy them for their variety, high interaction, and quick nature regardless. You will be fine if you don't take things too seriously. It's about fun and meeting people... (but if you do beat me too often I will ban you from the group and venue...).

Are you a mother estranged from your daughter diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder? icuibu is a unique monthly gathering created just for you. This is not a traditional support group. Instead, icuibu is a space for recognition, not repair, a place where your resilience is seen and celebrated. Here, you don’t have to fear judgement or rejection because of your circumstances. You are invited to show up as your genuine self and be seen by women who understand the complexities of your journey. What to expect: * A welcoming environment where you can simply be. * No pressure to share or explain, just the freedom to exist authentically. * Opportunities to connect with others who “see you” and “be you,” recognising the strength it takes to walk this path. Next meeting: Tuesday 17 February 2026 Where: Bridge Road Brewers 137/141 Nicholson Street Brunswick East Time: 7:00 – 8:00 pm Cycle: The third Tuesday of every month Contact: Di 0417 001 502 If you’re looking for a space to breathe, reflect, and be recognised for your resilience, icuibu welcomes you.

**Please book your tickets ($15) through the below Humanitix Link:** https://events.humanitix.com/conversations-with-the-cards1 **OR Pay for your ticket ($15) at the door** Nurture your Tarot-loving light as we gather together each fortnight with our cards to engage in conversations that aim to keep our connection with our decks lively, prescient, insightful, and exploratory. Develop your own dialogue in respectful relationship with one another and the cards feeling empowered to participate irrespective of your ‘level’ of card-conversing ability. Each conversation shall be instigated via creative prompts, questions, and pithy talks on a broad range of Tarot-related influences in a ritually-held circle that ensures ample time is provided for reading the cards for one another and sharing our own unique perceptions, wisdom's, experiences and reflections on life. All Tarot decks and levels of experience are welcomed. *‘The Tarot is a nomadic cathedral and constitutes first and foremost an apprenticeship in seeing.’* Marianne Costa from **The Way of the Tarot; the Spiritual Teacher in the Cards** **PLEASE NOTE: NUMBERS FOR EACH WORKSHOP ARE CAPPED AT 20.** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- The MTS is committed to providing events that align with and further The three objects of The Theosophical Society: * To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour. * To encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy and science. * To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being. However this being stated, the MTS does not endorse any health, spiritual, science-related, philosophical or theological /other assertions or claims made by any facilitator we host.

Please register for this event [here](https://factorhouse.io/events/melbourne-workshop-building-resilient-event-driven-systems-with-kafka-and-flink). **Go beyond theory and build a production-ready event stream** Join us for a practitioner-led, hands-on workshop where you'll design, build, and operate a complete real-time operational system from the ground up. We're teaming up with NetApp Instaclustr and Ververica to run this intensive half-day workshop. **What You'll Build** A resilient, real-time operational backbone powered by a Quarkus API, Kafka Streams, Apache Kafka®, and Apache Flink®. You'll implement a stateful order processing and inventory management system that processes live events in real time, the kind of critical infrastructure that powers payment processing, fleet coordination, inventory systems, and customer-facing applications across industries. **Two Architectural Patterns, One Mission** You'll implement and contrast two powerful approaches to building event-driven systems: **\- Pattern 1: Direct Event Publishing** Build a pipeline where the API writes events directly to Kafka, with a Flink job managing downstream state. Experience the challenges of application-level dual writes in real time. **\- Pattern 2: Change Data Capture \(CDC\)** Refactor for resilience by capturing database changes with CDC. Your API simplifies to database-only writes while Flink handles event publishing, demonstrating how CDC decouples applications from event pipelines and creates more robust data flows. **Operate With Confidence** Integrate **Kpow** and **Flex** to gain deep visibility into your Kafka and Flink data flows. You'll learn how to make your streaming systems more observable, accessible, and operationally efficient, skills that translate directly to production environments. **Who Should Attend** Software and data engineers, platform/SRE teams, and architects adopting streaming and event-driven architectures. Whether you're building payment systems, logistics platforms, or real-time analytics, this workshop gives you practical experience choosing the right patterns for your workloads. **Please note:** Spots are limited and attendees in engineering roles will be prioritised to ensure an optimal hands-on learning environment.

Hey all, please join us for our February Edition of the Melbourne Data Eng meetup. Join us for an engaging session filled with exciting discussions and networking opportunities. Don't miss out—RSVP to secure your spot. Please reach out if you'd like to host us! 🎉 🏠 Location: Stone & Chalk Melbourne 🍕 Catering: Easygo 😊 💬 Join our Slack Group here: [Data Engineers Slack Channel](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd09iTwpNulQH0b1BdslM1RzgImOGlX4WgOx6_rzvmVANwGmw/viewform) **Schedule:** \- 5\.30pm: Doors Open \- 6\.00pm: Announcements and Welcome \- 6\.10pm: 1st Talk \- 6\.40pm: 2nd Talk \- 7\.10pm: Networking \- 7\.30pm: Doors Close **Speakers:** 🎤 Anirban Roy Chowdhury, SD2 - Data engineering @ Easygo **Talk Title**: Multi tenant/region data engineering **Talk Summary**: Servicing multiple markets and challenges faced in multi-tenant architecture. **Speaker Bio**: Anirban is a versatile data professional with cross-industry expertise. Beginning his career as a software engineer at BlackRock in Delhi, India, he pursued his passion for data by relocating to Australia to earn a Master's in Data Science from Monash University. With experience spanning retail, consultancy, and real estate technology sectors, he specialise in bridging the gap between data insights and business outcomes. His work focuses on empowering organisations to implement data-driven decision-making processes that deliver measurable results. Through his practical approach to data engineering, he helped his teams to transform raw information into strategic assets that drive business growth. 🎤 Muhammad Ali, Sr. Solutions Architect at ClickHouse **Talk Title**: Engineering for Real-Time User-Facing Analytics **Talk Summary**: Building a dashboard for a dozen internal analysts is a solved problem. Building an analytical feature for a million concurrent users is an engineering nightmare. The fundamental laws of data processing change when we move analytics from the "back office" to the "front end”. In this session we will discuss engineering demands for building web facing low latency realtime analytics, and how to accomplish it without breaking the bank. **Speaker Bio**: Architecting the next generation of real-time AI workloads and observability If you'd like to **present** at future meetups, please submit your talk [here](https://dataengbytes.com/forms/meetup-talk)! Remember to bring along some great questions! See you all there...

## 🌿 **Kismetrix Singles Social Run/Walk + Coffee – TAN Track** ## [Register Here](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/feb-22-kismetrix-social-runwalk-coffee-the-tan-botanical-gardens-tickets-1981547271230?aff=oddtdtcreator) 📅 **Date:** Sunday, 22 February 🕘 **Time:** 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (please arrive by 9:45 AM) 📍 **Meeting Point:** Royal Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre 🏃 **Route:** TAN Track loop through the Royal Botanic Gardens 📏 **Distance:** Approx. 3–4 km (relaxed social pace) Or Walk 🎽 **Dress Code:** Comfortable activewear or casual running clothes ## **About the Event** Looking to meet new people, get active, and enjoy great company — without the pressure of a dating event? The **Kismetrix Singles Social Run or Walk + Coffee** is a relaxed, feel-good experience for singles who enjoy movement, nature, and meaningful conversation in a warm, welcoming environment. We’ll run at an easy, conversational pace around the iconic **TAN Track**, giving you plenty of chances to chat, laugh, and connect with different people along the way. There’s no racing, no awkward icebreakers — just a friendly group of singles sharing a beautiful morning together. After the run, we’ll walk back as a group and enjoy **optional coffee and mingling at the Visitor Centre café**, where conversations can continue naturally and comfortably. Many guests tell us these events feel more like meeting new friends — with a spark of something extra. ## **Who It’s For** ✨ Singles who want to meet people offline ✨ Adults 18+ across a wide range of ages (20s to 60s+) ✨ People who enjoy light running, jogging, or active social experiences ✨ Anyone looking for community, confidence, and connection **Singles only. Adults only. No children or dogs.** This helps keep the space relaxed, focused, and socially comfortable for everyone. ## **What to Bring** * Water bottle * Comfortable running or walking shoes * Sunscreen / hat * Light jacket (weather can change) * Positive energy and an open heart 💛 ## 🎟️ **[Tickets & Community Support](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/feb-22-kismetrix-social-runwalk-coffee-the-tan-botanical-gardens-tickets-1981547271230?aff=oddtdtcreator)** This is a **free community event**, with **optional donations** to support the Kismetrix community. While many of our curated singles events are ticketed, this run is part of our **open community series**, created to make connection, movement, and belonging accessible to everyone. Your support helps Kismetrix continue building safe, welcoming spaces where real human connection can grow — romantically or platonically. ### **Hosted by:** **Kismetrix \| True Connection** Because real love starts with real connection. ### **🔗 Stay Connected with Kismetrix \| True Connection** Love this event? We run a variety of experiences to help people meet and connect in meaningful ways. 📧 **[social@kismetrix.com.au]()** 🌐 **[www.kismetrix.com.au](http://www.kismetrix.com.au "http://www.kismetrix.com.au")** 📱 **Follow us on Instagram:** [https://www.instagram.com/kismetrix_/](https://www.instagram.com/kismetrix_/ "https://www.instagram.com/kismetrix_/") **, Facebook & Eventbrite** 🤝 **Collaborations: [collabs@kismetrix.com.au]()** ### **📄 Important Notice** By registering for this event\, you confirm that you have read and agree to Kismetrix \| True Connection’s Terms & Conditions\, Privacy Policy\, Disclaimer and Code of Conduct\. Some events may be non\-refundable as stated in their individual descriptions\.

Starting the year with exciting topic: * **Topic:** Event Streaming with GCP DataFlow * **Date:** Thursday 19th February 2026 at 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm * **Networking:** 6 pm - 6.30 pm and 7.20 - 8 pm * **Presentation Time**: 6.30 pm - 7.20 pm *(includes welcome, presentation 30 mins & community marketplace)* * **Location:** Fabric Group, Level 9, 446 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 * **Ticket:** Free of cost, however, registrations and RSVP are required! * **Sponsor:** Fabric Group, Thoughtworks **Event Streaming with GCP DataFlow** Learn about real time event streaming using GCP stack! This scalable event consolidation service orchestrates the real-time processing of millions of distributed data points into unified events. Built on GCP Dataflow and Pub/Sub, the architecture ensures high-throughput stream processing and seamless data synthesis for complex, distributed environments. ### **About The Speaker** *Abhishek is a Lead Software Engineer at Fabric Group with over 10 years of industry experience. He has worked extensively on data engineering problems, building ETL solutions and scalable event-driven systems. His interests include infrastructure automation and designing cloud-native solutions on AWS and Google Cloud.*

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBA

# **Band: Old Possum's Menagerie; Caller: Richard Ades** Beginner lesson at 1:30, regular dancing begins at 2:00 pm NOTE THAT WE ARE TEMPORARILY DANCING IN THE AFTERNOON INSTEAD OF EVENING. Dance with us in the afternoon then you can still go out in the evening! **Sponsor: All Soles Contra and Square Dancing, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus OH 43214** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 1:30 - 2:00, followed by dancing 2:00 - 430. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. Please bring your own refillable water bottle.

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message **Chris (the organizer)** with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services)

It’s time to take control of your mental health. How do you get rid of stress, anxiety and uncertainty? These emotions are buried deep in your reactive mind. Find out what the reactive mind is, and in the process find yourself. Have you ever suffered from a traumatic experience, a deep loss or been through a painful breakup? Has your ability to communicate suffered as a result? And after that, even though you "moved on" did you find that things were never quite the same? Have you ever looked at childhood photos, or reminisced your early life and wondered where that happiness and spark went? Are your emotions out of your own control? Have you ever felt, even if you aren’t aware of it, that possibly you are getting in your own way of your happiness and success? How does this affect your self-confidence? Find out what is at the root of all stress, anxiety, depression and self-doubt. Find out how and why you hold yourself back from achieving your goals and having the life you have dreamed of. As soon as you learn what is at the root of these unwanted conditions, you’ll see it is something you can DO something about. You will not be labeled or categorized at this MeetUp.

This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong

**Caller: Frank Buschelmann** **Band: The Rosenthorns** **Big Scioty Contra Dance** **temporarily returning to our long ago location for Jan-March - First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. For more information contact me or check out our website: [www.bigscioty.com](http://www.bigscioty.com/) Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Snacks to share are always welcome!

As you may or may not know--I didn't until late last year--Aristotle wrote extensively on "friendship" in the Nicomachean Ethics. After 69 years the concept of friendship still creates questions and uncertainty. I had close friends in high school and for a few years after high school but our interests diverged and people moved all over the country so it was hard to maintain connections. * So if I/you haven't talked with a friend for several years, are you still friends? Are we friends who meet at Drunken Philosophy or Omnipresent Atheists? * Can you be friends with someone with whom you have virulently divergent political views? Sartre and Camus could not. * Aristotle regarded friendship as essential to a good life, not merely an added "bonus." Do you agree? * In the Nicomachean Ethics (Books VIII and IX), he claims that wealth and power are meaningless without friends. Trump has wealth and power but seems to have no real friends, but wealth and power seem meaningful to him in perverted ways. Can you have meaning in your life without friends? * Do men and women view and maintain friendships in different ways? * Aristotle categorizes friendship into three types, based on what forms the bond: * **Utility**: Based on mutual benefit, but this type is fragile and ends when the usefulness ceases. * **Pleasure**: Based on shared enjoyment (e.g., humor, hobbies). Common among youth but fades as interests change. * **Virtue (The "Complete" Friendship)**: Based on mutual respect for each other's character and goodness. You wish good for the other for their sake, not yours. * **Key Principles of "True" (Virtuous) Friendship:** * **Permanence**: Virtuous friendships last a lifetime whereas those based on utility and pleasure are fleeting. * **Reciprocity**: Requires mutual goodwill; secret or unreciprocated affection does not qualify. * **The "Second Self"**: A true friend is "another self"—their virtue helps you understand and improve yourself. * **Time and Intimacy**: Deep ("complete") friendships are few, built on time and shared experiences. * **Self-Love and Friendship:** * Good friendship starts with being a friend to yourself. * They distinguish shallow egoism (chasing honors) from real self-love (pursuing virtue). * A virtuous person’s pleasant self-company allows them to be a stable, good friend to others. * Aristotle argues that one's social circle ultimately reflects one's character—a view with striking relevance today. Well--the Drunken Philosophy social circle certainly reflects good character!