2013
Topic | Month |
H.G. Wells said “History is the race between education and catastrophe.” Was he right? | Jan |
How do the pre-Socratic philosophers still speak to us? | Jan |
How do the pre-Socratic philosophers still speak to us? | Feb |
Is there a philosophical consolation for being undervalued and unrecognised? | Feb |
The lives, philosophies and influence of Wittgenstein and the Vienna circle. | Mar |
Julian Assange – defender of free speech or mere opportunist? | Mar |
The life, philosophy and influence of John Armstrong. | Apr |
Jane Austen believed that it was wrong to marry for money but silly to marry without it. What sort of philosophy does this summarise? | Apr |
The life, philosophy and influence of Germaine Greer. | May |
L. Ron Hubbard – another messiah? | May |
J.P. Sartre said “Existence precedes essence.” Aristotle said “Man is created to fulfil a purpose or goal.” Discuss | Jun |
Love is, in a certain sense, subject to mercy. | Jun |
Trotsky said “The end may justify the means so long as there is something that justifies the end.” Was he right? | Jul |
The life, philosophy and influence of Albert Camus. | Jul |
Modern Islamic philosophy – what does it encompass and what is its future? | Aug |
Are spin doctors the new philosophers? | Aug |
Is there something erotic in virtue/being virtuous? | Sep |
David Chalmers (1966 - ) and the bridge to consciousness. | Sep |
The ethics and philosophy of survival, both domestically and globally, in a future world of the “haves and have nots.” | Oct |
The nature of human nature. | Oct |
Group Meeting | Nov |
2014
Topic | Month |
What does it mean to be Australian in 2014? | Jan |
Sir Archibald McIndoe: his contribution to medicine | Feb |
The end of Homo sapiens: what do we want to become? | Feb |
Does the adoption of both liberalism and conservatism by one political party negate the benefits of both philosophies? | Mar |
Are the arts of benefit anymore or are they just a form of entertainment and recreation? | Mar |
The Republic debate | Apr |
Can we program for ourselves a ‘good death’ any more than we can a ‘good life’? | Apr |
Revelation and mystical experience: insight into existence or illusion? | May |
Every culture and age has its stories. What are the stories of our age and what do they say about our culture? | May |
Diogenes: his life, philosophy and influence | Jun |
We know a lot about the poor except why they are poor. Could it be because we are clothed by their nakedness and nourished by their hunger?’ | Jun |
Peter Higgs: the God Particle | Jul |
Serendipity means that you dig for worms and strike gold. How does that affect our philosophical life? | Jul |
How much of who we are exists outside us and what does this mean for who we are? | Aug |
How much of who we are exists outside us and what does this mean for who we are? | Aug |
the life, philosophy and influence of Mahatma Ghandi | Sep |
Will globalisation produce a homogenised global culture or will tribalism still exist? | Sep |
What is truth? | Oct |
There is a notion that the philosopher’s idea of life is ‘a life lived in the service of an idea’. How might that play out in practice? | Oct |
s self-doubt a symptom of philosophy or does it fuel the pursuit of knowledge? | Nov |
The life, philosophy and influence of Manning Clark | Nov |
2015
Topic | Month |
Feelings vs Reason - Rousseau: Discuss "So long as we are given up to the throng of desires with its constant hopes and fears, we never obtain lasting happiness or peace." (Schopenhauer) | Jan |
Is life becoming more superficial? | Feb |
To what extent is a group responsible for the actions of its members? | Feb |
Confucian thought | Mar |
Inequality exists - at what point do we try to equalise? | Mar |
Is free will a myth or are we truly responsible for our actions? | Apr |
Jackie Robinson "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." | Apr |
People have the right to be bigots (Brandis). When is satire as an insult acceptable or unacceptable? | May |
How flexible should our ideas of right and wrong be in a changing world of globalisation? | May |
Can the concept of the Christian God be realistically maintained in today's world? | Jun |
Life philosophy and influence of Buddha | Jun |
Freya Matthews and reinhabiting reality | Jul |
Why do we fear death and is this reflected in our cultural responses? | Jul |
Life, philosophy and influence of Edmund Bourke | Aug |
What makes a hero? | Aug |
Destruction is so much easier than construction. Discuss | Sep |
Whose interests do we have in mind when we take an interest? | Sep |
Virtue ethic's modern revival following Elizabeth Anscombe's paper | Oct |
The influence of terrorism on democracy | Oct |
"The largest part of man is that which is not inventoried." - Emerson | Nov |
The strange death of David Kelly | Nov |
Exeter University's - Stoic week | Dec |