Philosophy

**NoVES Philosophy Discussion Series: Right and Wrong** To restart NoVES' Philosophy Discussion Series we thought we would choose a topic that is fundamental to philosophy, determining right from wrong. This discussion will look at the thinking that determines right and wrong actions and the values and assumptions underlying these decisions.

Where did political correctness and "woke" come from? At least part of the answer lies in the modern development of **Postmodernism**. This meeting will be the first of a series of discussions of the book ***Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault*, by Stephen Hicks.** For the meeting, please read (or listen to) chapter 1. This book can be found in audiobook format on YouTube, read by the author, entirely for free: [YOUTUBE LINK](https://youtu.be/qcSb6VCRoMc?si=IQYiGodxXPeOQVNg) The book is available in multiple formats on Amazon: [LINK](https://a.co/d/0h0mUD5V) Tracing postmodernism from its roots in Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant to their development in thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Richard Rorty, philosopher Stephen Hicks provides a provocative account of why postmodernism has been the most vigorous intellectual movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Why do skeptical and relativistic arguments have such power in the contemporary intellectual world? Why do they have that power in the humanities but not in the sciences? Why has a significant portion of the political Left--the same Left that traditionally promoted reason, science, equality for all, and optimism--now switched to themes of anti-reason, anti-science, double standards, and cynicism? Explaining Postmodernism is intellectual history with a polemical twist, providing fresh insights into the debates underlying the furor over political correctness, multiculturalism, and the future of liberal democracy.

# Ethical Culture's 150th Year **Humanist Happy Hour Returns!!!** After a prolonged absence, the Northern Virginia Ethical Society's **Humanist Happy Hour** returns. This event welcomes Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics, Free-Thinkers, and everyone else to come and converse. We are at a new venue: Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company 10382 Willard Way Fairfax, VA 22030 Happy Hour will be from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. (Note that our Happy Hour does not include reduced prices for drinks). I look forward to a lively event at this new location.

Hey everyone, this is our very first gathering! We’re keeping it low-key and real. Just honest talk about the big stuff: life, meaning (or the lack of it), absurdity, consciousness, the illusions we all live with, and whatever else bubbles up. There’ll be existential philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and plenty of dark humor (I’m sure of it with people who enjoy staring into the void!) It’s an introductory meetup, so no pressure. Come, chat about whether you’ve been thinking about this stuff for years or you’re just curious and a little unsure. We’ve all probably been there. We’ll have one loose topic to get things started— which is whether we create meaning in life or is it predetermined? But mostly it’ll be open conversation. Stay as long as you want, leave whenever you need. Look forward to our chat!

Come join us for in-depth discussions on topics relating to moral and political philosophy. This is a group for members who are comfortable discussing topics that are often anxiety producing and controversial. *"Aristotle was a realist who believed that reality and knowledge are found in the physical world, accessible through sensory experience and logic. This led to contrasting views on ethics, politics, and the nature of reality itself. Plato emphasized abstract, ideal concepts, while Aristotle prioritized empirical observation and the study of the natural world."* \- Google Gemini Following Aristotle's lead, this group will lean heavily on empirical data to make arguments. The Socratic method is still the preferred way to engage in conversation, and Platonic Idealism is still relevant to the conversation as points of reference.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

🎤 Call for Speakers: NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2026 (#NYCPPRC2026) This event isn't a typical event, you cannot attend, no one will be hosting, it is instead a placeholder as a reminder of the deadline for submissions to apply to present at this year's conference. 📅 Submission Deadline: June 15, 2026 📍 Conference Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 📍 Location: Pier 57, NYC (Community Classrooms) [Link to conference event](https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/314020228/). \-\-\- 📣 Call for Speakers We are now accepting speaker submissions for the NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2026. If you have been reading, thinking, and developing ideas you would like to share, this is your opportunity to present to a community of engaged and thoughtful peers. \-\-\- 🧠 About the Conference The NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference brings together readers of philosophy and psychology for a multi-speaker event centered around ideas, discussion, and intellectual exchange. Following our first conference in 2025, we are expanding the event in 2026 with additional speakers, sessions, and opportunities to engage. \-\-\- 🎤 What We Are Looking For We are inviting talks that are: • Thoughtful and well-developed • Grounded in philosophy, psychology, or related disciplines • Accessible to an engaged general audience, not overly technical • Rooted in texts, ideas, or original analysis You might present on: • A philosophical text or thinker • A psychological theory or framework • Connections between philosophy and modern life • An original argument or interpretation • A synthesis of ideas from multiple sources \-\-\- ⏱️ Talk Format • Approximately 20 to 40 minutes per talk • Followed by brief Q&A or discussion \-\-\- 📅 Important Dates • Submission Deadline: June 15, 2026 • Speaker Confirmations: By late June 2026 • Conference Date: September 19, 2026 \-\-\- 📝 How to Apply To be considered, please submit: • Your name • Proposed talk title • A short description (3 to 5 sentences) • Any relevant background (optional) Submission link: [https://forms.gle/PQR4ze6MvdyM31SB6](https://forms.gle/PQR4ze6MvdyM31SB6) \-\-\- 💡 Notes • You do not need to be a professional academic to apply • Clear thinking and strong engagement with ideas matter most • Space is limited, we encourage thoughtful submissions \-\-\- 🤝 Questions If you have any questions about presenting or the event, feel free to reach out to the organizers. \-\-\- We are excited to hear your ideas and build another meaningful conference together.