Ontology
Meet other local people interested in Ontology: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Ontology group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out ontology events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the ontology events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find ontology events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Ontology Events Today
Join in-person Ontology events happening right now
Meetup #16
Hello everyone and welcome to 2026! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.. Assuming your New Year resolutions will be to attend more Data & AI London meet ups? 🫠 Either way we have another year of events that will be filled with insights, content, networking and all things Data & AI! This year we will be kicking things off with a biggie as always... a talk from Anthropic and Snyk.
**Adriaan Engelbrecht \| Member of Technical Staff @ Anthropic**
***Latest Product Updates from Anthropic***
Some currently out there and potentially some unannounced yet 👀
**Sonya Moisset \| Staff AI Security Advocate\, SecRel @ Snyk**
***Securing Vibe Coding: Addressing the Security Challenges of AI-Generated Code.***
As AI coding tools become embedded in daily development, they bring a new wave of productivity, and new security risks. In this session I break down the security implications of Vibe Coding and share actionable strategies to secure AI-generated code at scale.
Please aim to arrive at 6pm. The talks will start around 6.30pm (give or take a few mins) and there will be pizza and refreshments as always on arrival :)
Look forward to seeing you all soon!
Pintonomics #5 - Inflation
**!!! NEW YEAR NEW FORMAT !!!**
***We've changed things up a bit to promote a more focused discussion around the events topic, so its worth stopping by if you haven't been in a while*** 🙌
Join Pintonomics for our 5th meetup to discuss how economics impacts our daily lives – and to see what happens when you mix monetary policy with a good pint (or sprite!)
This months topic is **inflation**, where we explore:
* what are its main causes?
* what is sellers' inflation, and what impact does it have on the economy?
* what can governments do to control inflation, while still getting things done?
Not required, but if you get the chance, check out this interview of
**Stephanie Kelton** on a MMT and inflation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGlqnHTBP3I
podcast link: https://pca.st/episode/0516cdde-260f-4f2d-8d2e-beab98808bb6
We'll be in the Sekforde from 6.30pm but there's no strict start time so drop by what ever time you can make it 🙌
The Beginning of Infinity Chapter 1: The Reach of Explanations
In honour of the two-year anniversary of the Popper-Deutsch Reading Group this week we'll return to The Beginning of Infinity to revisit chapter 1 - The Reach of Explanations
If this is your first time attending we meet in the cafe of the Barbican Cinema, look for people with copies of The Beginning of Infinity.
The book can be purchased on [amazon](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginning-Infinity-Explanations-Transform-World/dp/0140278168), and many podcasts and summaries are available online. Here is Brett Hall's playlist exploring chapters of the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1qwlfDFkI&list=PLsE51P_yPQCRzJItkoRzu9HOGjYeFkfSB
Sobell Badminton Club: Advanced
We're finally back at Sobell Leisure Centre:
\- Tuesdays 7pm\-10pm
\- Courts 1a\-1d \(courts 1a\-1c after 9\.20pm\)
\- Sobell Leisure Centre\, Tollington Rd\, London N7 7NY\.
We are a friendly, competitive club for players at high intermediate to advanced / league standard. Not suitable for beginners or lower intermediates.
We are always looking for new competitive players. The club has a regular attendance of around 25 players, and will be participating in the Middlesex league in ladies' doubles, men's doubles and mixed doubles in the 2025/26 season.
We play doubles or mixed doubles only, with top quality feather shuttles.
Please RSVP if you like to attend, or don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Guest Fee is £17 for the 3-hour session. Enquire for our membership options. Please be prepared to pay by bank transfer or cash.
The club reserves the right to charge the full fee for non-attendance or if you withdraw later than 4 hours before the start of the session (if your space cannot be filled by another person on the wait list).
For new joiners: Please be prepared to pay after your first few games during the session. You can also join our WhatsApp community if you wish - feel free to ask us to add you.
Bank details: Sobell Badminton Club / Account 43745220 / SC 230580
LDN Talks February: Rust Nation Pre-Conference Meetup
It's that time of the year again, Rust Nation UK. We are excited to have Rustaceans who have flown in to meet the London community, forge new friendships, and engage in insightful discussions.
Tickets are still available for the conference.
Community Promo code: RustLDN2026
[https://www.rustnationuk.com/tickets](https://www.rustnationuk.com/tickets)
**Community Showcase**
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
**Iason Paraskevopoulos**
**Title: Building an OSS Remote Pair Programming App in Rust**
**Abstract:**
Hopp is a multi-user remote control and screen sharing app designed for fast, natural collaboration. This talk walks through how the system works end-to-end, from cross-platform screen capture and input handling to low-latency video streaming. It covers why we chose Tauri for cross-platform development early on, the headaches caused by WebKit’s inconsistencies and WebRTC issues, and why we are moving towards a Rust-native UI.
**David Wood (Rust Compiler Team Co-Lead)**
**Title: Extending Rust’s notions of sizedness**
**Abstract:**
This talk is based on work I am completing upstream as the co-lead of the compiler team and the lead of Arm’s Rust team. It is based on this RFC - https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3729, which is partially implemented. We hope to stabilise the implemented parts before this talk is presented.
More Talks to come......
London (Evening) D365PPUG - February 2026
Our first 2026 London Evening D365 and Power Platform User Group event will take place on Tuesday 17th Feb 2026 at 6 PM.
**Agenda:**
* 6.00pm - Registration and Networking
* 6.30pm - Welcome and Introduction
* 6.40pm - AI Context is King: Using Business Central's MCP Server with your Copilot Agents - Andrew Wingate (Microsoft MVP)
* 7.20pm - Break, Networking and Pizza
* 7:50pm - Building Better PCF Controls with AI - Jason Du Plessis (Microsoft - FAST Track Architect)
* 8:30pm - Interactive Session - Dynamics 365 & Power Platform Careers - A Rollercoaster of Experiences - London UG Team (Erfan, Atif, Tammy, Pritesh and Faheem)
* 9:00pm - Close
**Want to present in next event?**
If you are interested in presenting, then drop us a line at london@d365ppug.com. First-timers and our tech women are especially welcome :)
**The event will be at:**
Dotdigital Offices
9th Floor, 1 London Bridge,
London SE1 9BG
A member of the user group will be at the entrance to greet and direct you to the conference room.
Ontology Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Agentic AI Meetup - AI Governance for Developers
**Important:** Register on the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026021910)[ ](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2025110510)is required for admission.
We are excited to partner with Coder for a special edition of our AI Meetup in February, focusing on AI governance and compliance for developers.
AI is already part of how developers work: Coding assistants. Autonomous agents. Background tasks. PR reviews. But in most companies, AI usage is either completely ungoverned or quietly blocked.
This meetup is for developers who want to understand what AI governance actually means in practice, without turning their workflow into a compliance nightmare.
We’ll focus on how teams are introducing guardrails that protect source code, credentials, and infrastructure while still letting developers move fast. No policy decks. No buzzwords. Just real examples of how AI agents are being used safely inside modern dev environments.
**You’ll walk away with:**
* \- A clear understanding of what AI governance actually means for developers\, not just security teams
* \- Insight into why AI agents need different permissions than humans and where most teams get this wrong
* \- Practical examples of how guardrails can speed teams up instead of slowing them down
* \- A simple mental model you can apply whether you’re experimenting with AI locally or rolling it out across a team
**Who this is for:**
\- Beginner → intermediate software developers
\- Platform engineers and DevOps folks supporting dev teams
\- Anyone using \(or wanting to use\) AI tools beyond simple autocomplete
**Agenda:**
\* 6:00pm\~6:30pm: Checkin, Food and Networking
\* 6:30pm\~6:45pm: Welcome/community update
\* 6:45pm\~8:30pm: Tech talks and Q&A
\* 8:30pm\~9:30pm: Open discussion & Mixer
**Tech Talk: AI Governance for Developers**
**Speaker:** Eric Paulsen, Field CTO, Coder
**Abstract:** In this session, we will deep dive into AI governance for developers. We will explores the often-unseen risks developers face when using AI tools—from unintended data exposure to tool lock-in—and how teams can implement lightweight, developer-friendly governance. Learn how to build secure, standardized AI workflows that provide guardrails without slowing innovation, so you can ship with confidence.
**Speakers/Topics:**
Check the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026021910) for speakers and topics.
If you have a keen interest in speaking to our community, we invite you to submit topics for consideration: [Submit Topics](https://forms.gle/JkMt91CZRtoJBSFUA)
**Sponsors:**
We are actively seeking sponsors to support AI developers community. Whether it is by offering venue spaces, providing food, or cash sponsorship. Sponsors will not only speak at the meetups, receive prominent recognition, but also gain exposure to our extensive membership base of 20,000+ AI developers in London and 500K+ worldwide.
SE1 Badminton Club - Badminton & Lunch
Hi everyone!
Booking is now open for our next badminton session, 11am-1pm on Sunday at Ark All Saints Camberwell 140 Wyndham Road SE5 0UB.
The cost is only £10 per person plus £1.62 Meetup booking fee, paid in advance before the start of the session. Bring your racket or lease one for the session for a nominal £2.00, shuttlecocks is provided.
The lease rackets are available at the venue, so just make your way down. Please note we don't have enough for everybody just a few. If you damage your racket during the session you get one to use for free.
So if you wish to play and don’t yet have a racket make your way down, try and have a couple of nuggets (£2.00) handy because the racket lease fee is not included with the session booking fee.
Payment is by PayPal, Debit card, Credit card, Bank transfer, and Cash. Contact the host if you encounter any problem with making payment or wish to pay by other method (Payment by Bank transfer & Cash is £10.00)
Direction: The badminton hall is situated at the rear of the school, read on for direction on how to locate the hall.
The main entrance to the school is located on Wyndham road, on Wyndham road look for Toulon Street it is on the same side as the school. If you stand facing the school Toulon Street should be to your right. Toulon street lead on to Pitman Street which is where the entrance is located. Use the pedestrian gate to let yourself in, if it is locked use the intercom and somebody should let you in.
Immediately inside the school premises the entrance to the badminton venue is the building to your immediate right.
For more info, contact the host
Look forward to seeing you!
Many thanks
Afam
Data at the Economist&LawHive ! DET FEBRUARY
Join **Orchestra**, **Tracer** and **Lightdash** for an in-person evening with London’s data engineering community.
This event is built for **data engineers, analytics engineers, and platform teams** who enjoy going deep on real technical topics — from modern data stack architecture to reliability, observability, orchestration, and the practical lessons learned from running pipelines in production.
Expect a relaxed atmosphere, good people, and plenty of time for conversation (with free 🍕 & 🍻).
IMPORTANT: MEETUP IS TRYING TO BLEED US ALL DRY SO PLEASE [SIGNUP ON LUMA](https://luma.com/ml500u2m) AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE CALENDAR THERE. IF YOU DONT SIGN UP WE CANT GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT!
[https://luma.com/ml500u2m](https://luma.com/ml500u2m)
**Agenda**
**6:00 – 6:30pm:** Arrivals, drinks, networking
**6:30 – 7:30pm:** Technical talks + Q&A
**7:30pm onwards:** Networking
**Technical Speakers**
* Data @ The Economist - **[Luca de Michele](https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-de-michele-232432148)**
* Data @ Lawhive - **[Pablo Fernandez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablofergui/) (Head of Data)**
* **TBA**
**Who should attend**
* Data Engineers & Analytics Engineers
* Platform Infrastructure Data Ops teams
* Anyone building, scaling, or maintaining production data pipelines
Automate All the Things?
🏎️ **If you’re not automating yet… you probably are.**
Be honest: how much of your job are you already secretly automating, and how much of it is just automation in disguise?
In this session, **[Ellis Pratt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellispratt/)**, director of **[Cherryleaf](https://www.cherryleaf.com/)**, will take a clear, no-hype look at automation in technical communication. He’ll rewind to where things stood just over a year ago, then discuss what’s changed since.
We’ll explore how automation shows up across the technical writing lifecycle, and common pitfalls that come with it.
Finally, we’ll look ahead. What does increasing automation really mean for our careers as technical writers and documentarians?
Join us for an honest, practical conversation about what to automate, what not to, and how to stay relevant as the tools keep changing.
**📣 This event is aimed at technical writers and those working in closely related roles. The discussion will focus on automation and AI specifically in the context of technical documentation and technical content workflows.**
**When:** Thursday 19 February, from 6.30pm
**Where:** The Yellow Room @ Remark! 18 Leather Lane, EC1N 7SU
**What:**
18.30 - 19.00 Arrival
19.00 - 19.45 Presentation
19.45 - 20.00 Short break
20.00 - 20.45 Presentation
20.45 - 21.30 Networking
*All times are approximate.*
**Photos:**
Note that the organizers will take some photos for the WTD group.
Deeper Skills: Wholesome Philosophy P2 - Develop Thinking Habits 🧠💬
Ready to think clearer, reason better, and express with clarity? Join us for a practical wholesome philosophy practice where we learn essential thinking skills through hands-on group practice. Leave academics and theory at the door— this is a skills-building adventure for everyday life! 🧠✨
🟢 Early Bird @ £7.99
This event's focus: **Develop Thinking Habits** 🎯 a part of the Wholesome Philosophy series — **6 practice sessions** that help you build a complete thinking toolkit. **See below** 👇🏽
**Why should you sign up?**
✅ Practical toolkit you can use immediately
✅ Small group practice
✅ Private, quiet venue for focus
✅ Standalone session - Previous parts help, but not required
**What is Wholesome Philosophy?**
Practical philosophy for everyday life - helping you build useful skills for thinking clearer and communicating better in work, relationships, and daily conversations. You'll learn through pair work, and group practice. 💬 spread across **6 sessions:**
1. **Clear Thinking & Better Arguments** — How to reason
2. **Develop Thinking Habits** — Spotting biases and fallacies
3. **The Art of Dialogue** — Having productive disagreements
4. **Constructing Your Position** — Building solid viewpoints
5. **Decision-Making Frameworks** — Choosing wisely under uncertainty
6. **Self-Examination & Growth** — Questioning your own beliefs
Each session works standalone — attend one, some, or all. ***Want to join all?*** Speak to the facilitator about discounted pricing for the full (6 parts) series ✅
**Who is it for?**
* You want to think clearer and communicate better
* You feel frustrated when your point doesn't land
* You want to spot weak reasoning (including your own)
* You enjoy learning through practice, not just theory
* You crave thoughtful conversation with curious people
* You want practical tools you can use tomorrow
No philosophy background needed — just show up ready to practice. 🎉
**What's in it for you?**
* Make your points stick (without fighting) 💡
* Think more clearly about any topic even complex ones 🧠
* Have disagreements that don't turn into arguments 🤝
* Understand the world better 🌍
* Connect with curious, thoughtful people ✨
* Gain confidence in your reasoning abilities 💪
**How does it work?**
* Facilitated practice session (2 hours) with structured exercises ⏱
* Small group discussions (4-6 people) 💬
* Pair work for hands-on practice 🤝
* Individual reflection moments 🧘
* Whole group sharing (optional, not required) 🌟
Everything is timed and guided — you'll know exactly what to do at each stage 📝
**What to expect**
Collaborative discovery, without competitive learning. Practicing together, without performing for each other. What happens in the room stays in the room. 🔒
* **Depth**: Beyond small talk, but it's not therapy — we're developing thinking skills 🧠
* **Safety**: Wholesome Agreement principles apply — respect, curiosity, no judgment 🤝
* **Practical**: You'll leave with tools, not just concepts — things you can actually use the next day 🛠️
* **Participation**: These are practice sessions — your active participation creates the learning environment 💬
**Ready to upgrade your thinking skills?**
🌊 Join us for a Wholesome Philosophy practice session and walk away with various thinking tools — it's for anyone who wants to navigate life with a sharper, kinder mind. 🌟
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)
SOLD OUT • TEiP DEEP: A small group, deep dive into a single Thought Experiment
A **smaller, quieter, and less rushed** edition of THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS.
At TEiP DEEP, we have the chance to spend a whole hour and a half on **one thought experiment**, exploring different perspectives, coming up with new questions, listening and learning from one another.
**How it works:**
\- We split into small groups for each chapter of the thought experiment \(3\-4\)\.
\- We shuffle every 25 mins to meet new people and change things up\.
\- And at the end we'll have a brief group reflection\, sharing ideas and insights \- this will be lightly facilitated to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak if they want to \(no pressure\)\.
Some simple ground rules to keep our conversation the best it can be:
* respect for one another’s perspectives, beliefs, time (etc.)
* confidentiality of personal stories
* own your perspective
* you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.
Our aim is the same as our bigger Thought Experiments in Pubs meetups: **a chance to meet and talk at about meaningful, thought provoking things**.
Although we’ll be going a bit ‘deeper’, we’ll keep the intention to have an enjoyable evening, with good humour and fun.
Places are limited to 15-20 people and tickets are £5.
Please update your RSVP if you can no longer attend so that someone else can have your place.
**Who should come:**
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts in Philosophy, it is about *doing* philosophy. That is, bringing our various life experiences and lenses on the world to group discussions about the human experience, the nature of reality...etc. etc....
**Where we'll meet:**
The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia. The nearest Tube stations are Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road.
Looking forward to meeting & talking with you :-)
**[WHATSAPP GROUP](https://chat.whatsapp.com/D13LHw5BV3rEtUtO3ORklC)** \- stay in the loop
**[INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/thoughtexperimentsinpubs/)** \- see what we look like
**[FACEBOOK](www.facebook.com/thoughtexperimentsinpub)** \- ditto
**[WEBSITE](www.alltogether.one)** \- sign up to the newsletter\, support\, & feed back
#philosophyinpubs #inclusivity #openmindedness #deepdive #TEiPdeep
Ontology Events Near You
Connect with your local Ontology community
TBD
**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
Contra dance Feb. 21 (First Unitarian Universalist Church) note new time!
# **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.
Quarterly Community Gathering
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)
Free in-person event: Take Control of Your Mental Health
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.
An Immense World
This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong
Contra dance with Big Scioty on March 7 - First Congregational Church
**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!
Philosophy of Friendship: What are the bases of "friendship"?
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!





















