Groups / Classes
In Spring 2023, we will be launching a series of classes and groups. These will be a mixture of reading groups, discussion groups, and whichever other kinds of ways of doing philosophy we can think of. These will be free to attend in order to open them to anyone, albeit with an encouragement to offer a donation if you can afford to in order to cover administrative costs, pay the group leader for their time, and so on. With limited places, priority will be given to our Patreon supporters and print subscribers (please note that the print subscription option has now been incorporated into the Patreon membership) but we hope that everyone who wishes to attend a group will be able to do so.

10th May to 14th June
What is Civil Disobedience
Eraldo Souza dos Santos (Panthéon-Sorbonne University)
Civil disobedience has emerged as a key political and philosophical concept. The meaning of the phrase, however, remains contested – from discussions on the radicalism of Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter to controversy over the legitimacy of Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing to debates about the appropriation of the concept by anti-abortion movements. But what does “civil disobedience” mean?

5th June to 10th July
Night Vision Book Club
Mariana Alessandri (author of Night Vision)
Starting on Monday 5th June, we’ll be reading Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves Through Dark Moods by Dr. Mariana Alessandri. Over six weeks we’ll read about and discuss how best to see and talk about difficult moods including anger, sadness, grief, depression, and anxiety. We’ll discuss our own experiences alongside Ancient and Existentialist philosophies, Western medicine, and Professional Psychology.

5th July to 9th August
The Value of Objectivity
Amogh Sahu (Columbia University)
“Objectivity” is a common point of reference in intellectual culture. We use it as a criterion for good journalism, good scientific theory, good moral reasoning, and so on. However, there are reasonable questions about its value that will be addressed on this course: Is objectivity achievable? Does this matter for its value? Does the pursuit of objectivity hamper important ethical goals? Does it prevent us from considering the interests of marginalized groups?