Philosophy

🏛️ **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/Hg7zL8ClpzM3agJCvw5HDS), 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: * 19:00-19:15 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the ‘official' start. * 19:15-19:25 - 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. * 19:25-20:45 - 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. * 20:45-21:00 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo. * 21:00 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other. **🧧PRICING?** Practical Philosophy Club is FREE to attend! We just ask that if we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Some chapters rent a space for us to meet, and they may ask for donations to help contribute to the cost of rent. Donations will always be 100% voluntary though! 💛 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 Sunday in the Whatsapp group. 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/Hg7zL8ClpzM3agJCvw5HDS). * 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/Hg7zL8ClpzM3agJCvw5HDS) 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/). **PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY - Making Philosophy Available To All.** ✨ Practical Philosophy hosts weekly, in-person meetups in over 20 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️ \*\*\* Join our [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hg7zL8ClpzM3agJCvw5HDS) 👈 Follow us on [Instagram](www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈 Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈

"How do I get out of a reading slump? This is the book to do that." ―*Rhianna Dhillon, BBC Radio 4* Our first book for discussion in 2026 is... ***FLESH*** by David Szalay. * WINNER OF THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE * Finalist for the Kirkus Prize * Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence “Spare and detached on the page, lush in resonance beyond it” (NPR), *Flesh* traces the imperceptible but indelible contours of unresolved trauma and its aftermath amid the precarity and violence of an ever-globalizing Europe with incisive insight, unyielding pathos, and startling humanity. . . . Teenaged István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and is soon isolated, drawn instead into a series of events that leave him forever a stranger to peers, his mother, and himself. In the years that follow, István is born along by the goodwill, or self-interest, of strangers, charting a rocky yet upward trajectory that lands him further from his childhood, and the defining events that abruptly ended it, than he could possibly have imagined. A collection of intimate moments over the course of decades, Flesh chronicles a man at odds with himself—estranged from and by the circumstances and demands of a life not entirely under his control and the roles that he is asked to play. Shadowed by the specter of past tragedy and the apathy of modernity, the tension between István and all that alienates him hurtles forward until sudden tragedy again throws life as he knows it in jeopardy. . . . “A masterpiece, told with virtuosic economy… Pure brilliance from the first to the (devastating) last sentence." ―*India Knight* "Brilliance on every page." ―*Samantha Harvey* “So brilliant and wise on chance, love, sex, money." ―*David Nicholls* “Compelling and elegant, merciless and poignant." ―*Tessa Hadley* . . . The discussion will take place at the beautiful rooftop bar, **Las Palmas**, on Sunday, January 18th at 3:00 PM. Please support the venue by ordering at least one drink. The link below is the book discussion questions. [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NKVL1HZbPKNKc5BQE-HUcbiCtPqIkCu3N4csKreh5DU/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NKVL1HZbPKNKc5BQE-HUcbiCtPqIkCu3N4csKreh5DU/edit?usp=sharing) Please take a look at them before joining the event. Following the discussion, our next book will be chosen by a group poll—so come prepared to champion your pick. Each month, we explore a different genre, enriching our reading experience and broadening our perspectives. For the February discussion, please bring at least one **non-fiction** book recommendation. If your suggestion triumphs in our friendly voting war, your book takes center stage! And even if it doesn’t, you’ll still gain the joy of stepping beyond your usual reading horizons. FAQ) 1)"Do I have to finish reading the book to join the event?" **YES.** We’re here to discuss the book! To ensure a rich and meaningful conversation for everyone, all participants are expected to read the book in full before attending. 2)"Can I just listen and not join the discussion?" **NO.** We gather in person to *share* ideas. Your voice matters! Whether you agree, disagree, or interpret things differently, every perspective helps deepen our understanding of the book. There’s no right or wrong answer, and every opinion is equally cherished. Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions. See you in the New Year, bookflies🦋!

Welcome to my sailboat. **Please read this notice**. These are crew opportunities, not for passengers, non-swimmers, people afraid of the water or get seasick. Bring a change of clothes, a towel, a hat, non-marking footwear with heelstrap and sunblock. There is a toilet and drinking water on board. Participants like to contribute to expenses in appreciation of this opportunity. **Also**, please confirm your attendance by SMS or Whatsapp on Saturday for sailing on Sunday, to avoid no-shows and missed sailings. No-shows deprive others of a place, so be responsible and remove your reservation if you are not attending, and please do it in good time. Places unconfirmed by Saturday will not be reserved, and I can't wait for you if I'm not sure you're coming. Keep me informed and reply to my messages. Don't be late. Thank you. Derek 9807-5827.

Welcome! Gist below! :-) 1. Bring a book to the meet! 2. Buy a drink (and a bite if you're hungry). 3. Say hi to the folks. 4. Read! 5. We'll do a short round of intros and a short sharing at the end too. :) Come in and find us (we're probably the only reading group)! In the event that the place is full, we'll find a back up nearby. :-) This is a limited seats, small group event, so do try to update your RSVP early if your plans change! Thanks in advance! Nearest MRT: Tai Seng MRT (Circle Line 11) & Macpherson MRT (Circle Line 10 / Downtown Line 26)

\*\* Get Ready for the Mountains\*\* We start from Hillview and go for a Bukit Timah summit before traversing to Chestnut Nature Park > Mandai T15 > Mandai > Bird Paradise This is not a leisure walk (at \~4-4.5km/hour) - this hike trains your endurance over long distance and transversing through some steep steps at Dairy Farm and rougher trails in the nature parks. Some parts of the trails can be undulating and may be wet & muddy after or during wet weather. Distance: \~14km Duration: \~3.5hours, depending on route condition and fitness level of team Start Point: Hillview MRT (EXIT A - STREET LEVEL) End Point: Bird Paradise (take a shuttle bus to Khatib MRT or hop on the various public bus services along Mandai Road) **NOTE:** \- pls have adequate meals before coming as there are no civilisation stops along the route until end point\. \- bring sufficient water and snacks for the long walk\. There is no water or food points along the route \- Waterproof your items and be rain\-equipped \(rain cover\, rain jacket\, poncho\, umbrella\, etc\.\) \- In case of Cat 1 \(bad weather\); any change of plans will be announced 1\.5\-2 hours before\. Route may change according to weather conditions *The 'Waitlist' may not go in order as we reserve the right to prioritize the spots for our trip participants who are training for our upcoming treks. Thank you for your understanding!* Join us on all our social media platforms for the latestt updates on events! https://bit.ly/m/Adventures-Unlimited

Welcome! Gist below! :-) 1. Bring a book to the meet! 2. Buy a drink (and a bite if you're hungry). 3. Say hi to the folks (pls note the venue is a pet cafe so there will be furry friends). 4. Read! 5. We'll do a short round of intros and a short sharing at the end too. :) Come in and find us (we're probably the only reading group)! In the event that the place is full, we'll find a back up nearby. :-) This is a limited seats, small group event, so do try to update your RSVP early if your plans change! Thanks in advance! Nearest MRT: Kovan

Join us for an engaging discussion focusing on the 1st Year of the Trump Presidency. This meetup will delve into the intersection of immigration, economics and global affairs. No need to prepare talking points in advance. Whether you are a seasoned expert or just starting to dip your toes into the world of global affairs, this event promises to be enlightening and thought-provoking.

**For ages 17 and above.** This lesson will cover: * Appreciation of Aikido philosophy * Focus on body mechanics * Practical application This class focuses on understanding the core ideas of Aikido and improving body movement. Students work on making techniques more precise and effective, using better leverage rather than just strength. Training also includes practicing weapon disarm, free movement throws, and handling multiple attacks. ### **Address** Alexandra Retail Centre (ARC), 460 Alexandra Road #03-02, PSA Building, 119963 ### **Schedule** Sundays 4PM - 5PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

Badminton game format: Doubles Skill: Low Intermediate to High Intermediate Max of 36 players in 6 courts. RSL Ultimate Shuttlecock. 2 court priority for Mid Intermediate and Above !Game fee for 👸🏼(F) is $2 lower Last min cancellation (24 hrs before game session) or no show is chargeable (game fee). Kindly SMS or WhatsApp KC @ 90058266 for any queries.

**For ages 12 and above.** 1. **Upper-Body Workout**: Gymnastics rings engage multiple muscle groups, including arms, shoulders, back, chest, and core, providing a comprehensive and effective full-body workout. 2. **EnhanceBody Control and Balance**: Performing exercises on rings improves body control and balance, enhancing proprioception and spatial awareness. 3. **Functional Movement Patterns**: Ring exercises often involve multi-joint movements that replicate functional activities, enhancing real-world physical capabilities. 4. **Motivation, Progression, and Mastery**: Incorporating gymnastics rings introduces excitement and novelty to your routine, fueling motivation. As you learn new movements and advance in ring skills, you experience a rewarding sense of progression, mastery, and growth throughout your fitness journey. ### **Address** 11 Yan Kit Road Level 3 Singapore 088263 ### **Schedule** Sundays 11AM - 12PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

Badminton game format: Doubles Skill: High Beginner to Mid Intermediate 1pm - 4 courts 2pm - 3 courts Max of 23 players in 3.5 courts. RSL Ultimate Shuttlecock. !👸🏼(F) Game fee lower by $2 Game fee for HB-MI is lower compared to LI-HI Last min cancellation (24 hrs before game session) or no show is chargeable (game fee). Kindly SMS or WhatsApp KC @ 90058266 for any queries.

**For ages 13 and above.** Aikido is a martial art which originated in Japan with its founder, Morihei Ueshiba, in the early twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the world’s most popular martial arts. At its most basic level, Aikido is an empty-handed system of throwing, joint-locking, striking and pinning techniques, coupled with training in the varying use of sword (bokken), staff (jo) and knife (tanto) techniques. The core principle of Aikido is not to resist the laws of nature but to harmonize without the undue application of aggressive strength. In practice, aikido techniques are applied by efficient redirection of the attacker’s power against him/her using minimal force and without being overly injurious. The word “aikido” is formed of three kanji, namely 合 (ai) meaning joining or unifying, 気 (ki) which means spirit or energy, and 道 (dō) which is loosely interpreted as “the path” or “the way”. ### **Address** 346D King George's Avenue, 5th Floor, Singapore, Singapore ### **Schedule** Sundays 230PM - 330PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

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

[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.

Every Sunday afternoon before church, one of the Covenant Life Church prophetess' hosts a prophetic training class that activates participants in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. During this class, participants will be provided opportunity to be taught how to use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and will have opportunity to ask questions and talk with someone who has been used in the Gifts during ministry. Teaching is provided on the gifts with emphasis on the Gift of the Prophecy. A combination of lecture and experiential learning is employed to teach, guide and instruct the participants. Everyone is welcome, all classes are free. Childcare is not provided.

[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.

[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.

Our local amphibians and reptiles are both susceptible to habitat destruction and pollutants and can often be victims of being misunderstood. Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for an introductory look at our local amphibians and reptiles, what our citizens can do to help protect their habitats, and what related programs are available through Loudoun Wildlife to help monitor populations and increase community awareness of these often overlooked and fragile species. This presentation takes place at Rust Library and is co-sponsored by the Loudoun County Public Library and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.