Sorted from most recent to ancient.
| Wed 18 Aug 2010 | The truth about human's discovery of the truth (Jeffrey Liu) | ||
| An attempt to unveil the mystery of the infinity and finity within a human being through a couple of models and reveal the fundamental purpose of philosophy, science and religion. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 04 Aug 2010 | The distinction between science and philosophy. (Nathan Sinclair) | ||
| Philosophy is currently undergoing a crisis of confidence. This has led some philosophers to claim that their work cannot be sharply distinguished from science (and thus deserves the same respect as scientific work), while others have sought to maintain that philosophy is a specially different realm of enquiry which uncovers truths that are above scientific investigation. In this talk shall present a (very brief and partial) historical outline of various conceptions of philosophy and necessity since the ancient Greeks and the reasons why each overthrew its predecessor. In the end I hope to show why the analytic philosophers conception of philosophy was found wanting and to explain and defend a new and perfectly naturalistic account of the distinction between science and philosophy which does not require the existence of any special non-scientific realm of enquiry. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 21 Jul 2010 | C A Campbell's view of free will (Allan McCay) | ||
| C A Campbell thought that humans are free and morally responsible for what they do. In his view, determinism is false and human's make undetermined choices which they control and are responsible for. I will briefly outline his view and raise some issues for discussion. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 07 Jul 2010 | Why I am me, not you - Indians and we. (Ran Kim) | ||
| In South Korea, the society I grew up in, you can be frequently stereotyped on the basis of the university you graduate from, for example when going for a job. This seems unfair to those people who have graduated from a universtity with a poor reputation. However, I will show that fairness cannot be determined objectively. Fairness is subjective. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 Jun 2010 | One World (Ariya Kiratikanon) | ||
| After WW 2, the world is developed and changing super fast. The force behind the change is innovation of scientific, artistic, technology and human relation advancement. All along, it has driven by first, world scale industrial revolution and second, globalization. Today, over 30 "emerging economy" pre-industrialization nations are marching toward to become "developed" industrialized status and many could only take 20-40 years time to succeed. Such gigantic world change has much effected the world systems such as, the information and transport sections are already world scale networks, in order to eliminated crises and conflict and resettle world new financial order; G7 has given way to G20, the developed nations are in saturated growth era where mostly have fragile economic and with limited room to growth, the most ideal investment and innovation arena is inversed toward pre industrial nations, the gap between the developed and pre industrial nations are constant narrowing, environment protection, population fast increase, food and natural resource, stop and control pandemic diseases, security (world war, international terrorism threat).The above issues are all fast become global issues. Therefore, world is rapid transforming and will become One World at last. Indeed, One World is inevitable, can not stop and the only option for human survival and is coming. And how? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Jun 2010 | The Two Baskets Concept in the First Phase of Pan. (Greg) | ||
| In the first of two baskets, let me put all the world's people who know in the core of their being, that they DO know, exactly, why they are alive. And, then in the other basket, let me put all the world's people who know, in the core of their being, that they DON'T know, in truth why they are alive (and possibly, for many, only admitting this in the privacy of their own thoughts). Supporting the meta-physical might be the idea of the 'ghost'. The Holy Ghost in the Christian Trinity. Angels (messengers) that sought out Mohammed. The Atman for the Hindu and the Chi for the religious ideas that saw the Dao-de as (interestingly) much the same thing as Brahman? Or was it the other way round? Supporting the physical and exclusion of the meta-physical might be a lot more faith these days in scientific process, and discovery, and knowledge, now well exceeding the boundaries of our senses. Nevertheless, Pan is a simple Course of Action towards unification of people from all our global cultures (and, it follows, from both these two baskets) with a view to making right, once again, our global relationship to the global environment. Pan has four simple phases. But, this speech is about the first phase of Pan which is the Two Baskets Concept. You might not fit in with either, and surely there must be more choices? There is always more choices... | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 19 May 2010 | Open Forum | ||
| Radical Honesty (Garry K) postponed. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 May 2010 | Ethical experts, fact or fiction? (Barry Rafe) | ||
| What is the contribution of the moral authority and the exemplar human to the moral character of a society? I will argue that there are no ethical experts and that the concept of moral or ethical expertise is deeply flawed since there is no idea that anyone can speak as for us in a situation of a subjective moral dilemma. Whilst I argue that there are no ethical experts I explain that there is an important role for moral authorities and exemplar human beings in setting the moral character of the society. Whilst our society requires that people will take responsibility for their actions people often look to a moral authority to guide them in making difficult moral decisions. In a liberal society with different and competing moral conventions, new conventions amongst one group will test the conventions of another group leading to constant tension and evolution of moral values. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 21 Apr 2010 | I feel, Therefore I Am - The Secrets of Emotional Neuroscience (Ray Lewis) | ||
| We all have three brains, an instinctive brain, and emotional brain and a rational brain, getting them to work in balance is no longer a science fiction dream. Discover the missing piece of the puzzle that's had the psych world running around in circles since Descartes' infamous statement 'I think, Therefore I Am'. The earliest foundation of a human being is a feeling foundation, not one of thought. Find out about your inner ability to change negative feeling beliefs. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 07 Apr 2010 | Why Chicks Don't Dig Philorum, Dudes! (Joffre Balce) | ||
| Before anything, credit for the topics goes to Garry K, who is the original proponent, and Edward Neylan, who suggested adding some balance. The topic might sound offensive, especially to those who consider themselves "chicks" or "dudes", but is nevertheless open to such and makes no apologies to said parties. Given strict time limits, it will be a best efforts philosophical attempt to determine (1) if chicks and dudes do exist as well as the act of "digging" something and (2) if the statement is indeed offensive as well as relevant and material. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Mar 2010 | Cancelled due to St Patrick's day. | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Mar 2010 | Happiness (Mark Avery) | ||
| "Happiness is a butterfly. Chase it and it eludes you. Sit down quietly and it alights upon your shoulder." Wrong. We can become happier, but not by employing positive thinking, developing patience, being kind, quelling anger, having low expectations . . . Those methods are not only simplistic, they're downright wrong. We are told to love ourselves, find within us our own special gift, reach our potential, and to see problems as challenges. That's not the way. Rather, we need to reduce our fears and gain an inner authority. That comes from getting to know ourselves, and by taking full responsibility for the way our life unfolds. (Mark Avery: Currently writing a book: "Paradox and his umpteen keys to happiness.") | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Feb 2010 | Open forum. | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Feb 2010 | Are we morally obese? (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
| We are living in a time of great prosperity, with widespread material wealth and personal well-being and health. Hardships that were common just a few generations ago, and which are still common in other societies, are increasingly rare in ours. Our houses are slightly too large, our tan somewhat too dark, our cars too fast, and our waist line to wide. However, does this prosperity also make allow us the luxury of being too moral? Or is this "being too moral" simply impossible? What does it it mean to overindulge on morality? And what harm would be done if you would? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 20 Jan 2010 | Do holes exist? (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
| This talk will introduce the subject of ontology. The centrepiece of the talk will be a performance of David and Stephanie Lewis's charming dialogue "Holes" in which two interlocutors discuss what would be required for holes to exist. This dialogue provides an excellent illustration of two rival philosophical approaches to ontological questions. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 06 Jan 2010 | Cancelled for tonight. | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 Dec 2009 | Is Philosophy a martial art? (Joffre Balce) | ||
| Much has been wirtten about the philosophies of the martial arts. This discussion is an attempt to turn the tables and explore philosophy as a martial art in itself. Open to all practitioners -- from beginners to masters -- and non-practitioners alike. No safety equipment required. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Dec 2009 | Festival of offensive or hurtful ideas. | ||
| Come along to Philorum to air your offensive or hurtful ideas. Non offensive and non hurtful ideas are also welcome. As usual everyone is guaranteed 2 - 3 minutes to speak. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 18 Nov 2009 | Euthanasia, Suicide and Immortality: the Live-ers and the Die-ers (Ian Woolf) | ||
| "I've read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if he had to live on some high rock, on such a narrow ledge that he'd only room to stand, and the ocean, everlasting darkness, everlasting solitude, everlasting tempest around him, if he had to remain standing on a square yard of space all his life, a thousand years, eternity, it were better to live so than to die at once! Only to live, to live and live! Life, whatever it may be!" - from Part II Chapter VI Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Most people expect that since religion-followers are against suicide and euthanasia, that non-believers would all be against them also. I argue that humans appear divided between those who agree with Dostoevsky, and those who disagree, regardless of disbelief in religion; and that there is a rational and compassionate argument against euthanasia and suicide. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 04 Nov 2009 | Pan (Greg) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 21 Oct 2009 | The Essential Confucius - is this philosophy relevant today? (Ric Vatner) | ||
| Mao Zedong initiated the Cultural Revolution to exorcise Confucianism from Chinese Society and his texts have been read by more people than the bible but is Confucian Philosophy relevant today? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 07 Oct 2009 | Open Forum | ||
| An open forum. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 Sep 2009 | Philosophy should always start from evidence. (Ian Bryce) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Sep 2009 | The Way to Happiness - L. Ron Hubbard. | ||
|
Speaker (10 - 20 mins) |
The Way to Happiness - L. Ron Hubbard. |
(John August) |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 19 Aug 2009 | (Garry Richards) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 Aug 2009 | Four areas of confusion in ethics (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
| In this talk I will consider four popular ideas about ethics and diagnose each idea as based on a philosophical confusion. The first idea I discuss is the debate between moral absolutism and moral particularism. I argue that, contrary to what most people think, there is not a coherent distinction between absolute and particular moral judgments that can underlie such a debate. The second idea I discuss is the is-ought thesis: you can't derive an "ought" from an "is". I argue that while this thesis is true (with one minor modification), it is trivial and has no bearing on the question of whether morals have a naturalistic grounding. The third idea I discuss is the naturalistic fallacy. I argue first, that most people misunderstand what the naturalistic fallacy is and second, that given a correct understanding of this supposed fallacy we discover neither a fallacy nor a plausible objection against moral naturalism. The final idea I discuss is moral relativism. I suggest that the standard arguments given for moral relativism are straightforwardly flawed. This doesn't mean that moral relativism is false (as there may be sophisticated arguments for moral relativism that avoid the flaws in the standard arguments), but it does show that many people are unjustified in accepting moral relativism. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 15 Jul 2009 | Open Forum | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 01 Jul 2009 | Without Telos, we'd be better off - Exercises in Causality. (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
| It is a human trait to look at human behavior or events that affect us, and try to understand the causes. We intuitively understand what it means when we say that one event is the cause of another event. Still, there are various theories trying to explain how to know whether something is a proper cause. And yet other theories that explain what it actually means to be a proper cause. Yet, when applied to human behavior, these notions often feel inappropriate and reductionist. Intuitively, we strongly prefer to think in term of the Telos, the goal towards which behavior is aimed. We find it virtually impossible to not invoke the Telos, when we are asked to explain our own behavior. While it would further our understanding if we wouldn't. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Jun 2009 | Is Zen the cure for Philosophy? (Chris Sanderson) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Jun 2009 | Perspectives on Rape from the Social Sciences and Evolutionary Psychology (John August) | ||
| Evolutionary Psychology (EP) considers many areas - most controversially, rape - which it considers to be an adaptation. This perspective is at odds with that of the Social Sciences, which emphasises culture, social structures, learning, power and violence. In fact, EP does incorporate some of these elements, but posits them as influential rather than crucial, and has a somewhat different emphasis. Another important difference is how different types of "sexual attraction" are defined and differentiated in the two viewpoints. This talk will survey both viewpoints. It is not intended to devalue the tragedy of rape in our society. Rather, the hope is that we can learn something in making the attempt to examining an emotive and controversial issue objectively. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 20 May 2009 | Don Quixote V Don Juan (Joffre Balce) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 06 May 2009 | Introduction to Transhumanism (Ian Woolf) | ||
| Transhumanism regards involuntary aspects of the human condition, such as disability, suffering, disease, aging, drudgery and death as unnecessary and undesirable. Transhumanists support the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities, not just to bring the disabled up to average, but to bring anyone above average. This introduction will give an overview of the major themes, the history and politics. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 15 Apr 2009 | Aesthetics (Natasha Allen) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 01 Apr 2009 | Philosophische Untersuchungen into Water (David Allen) | ||
| Philosophy is about examining the fundamental building blocks that are essential to human existence. Water is essential to human existence. Ergo ... It is possible that modern thinkers such as Wittengestein, building on earlier geniuses, may shed some light on this intriguing phenomenon and on the direction in which philosophy is going. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 18 Mar 2009 | Biases (Garry K) | ||
|
MC |
Edward Neylan |
||
| Wed 04 Mar 2009 | The Restraint Project (James Franklin) | ||
| Restraint (temperance, self-control) is a virtue not much heard of since the Sixties, when autonomy and self-indulgence became the dominant ideals. But coping with economic depressions and temptations to addictions needs basic skills in looking after oneself, i.e. temperance. James Franklin will give a brief account of the 'Restraint Project', http://www.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/restraintproj.html | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 18 Feb 2009 | Taboo topics in Philosophy (Ian Bryce) | ||
| This talk will introduce some subjects which have long been avoided by philosophers, or are now "politically incorrect". These include racial differences, religious indoctrination, limiting population, directed evolution, and whether philosophy should encompass evidence. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 04 Feb 2009 | Philorum suspended for this evening. Instead, You may like to see Peter Singer. | ||
| http://www.gleebooks.com.au/default.asp?p=events/events4.htm#Peter_Singer | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 21 Jan 2009 | The Semantics of Gay Marriage. (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
| In this talk I will take some ideas that have emerged in philosophy of language in the last 40 years and apply them to the issue of gay marriage. My concern will not be the social/moral/political debate about whether gay marriage should be legalised, but rather the semantic question regarding what the term 'marriage' means. This question about the meaning of 'marriage' has become relevant to the gay marriage debate because some people have argued that it is a semantic fact that marriage must be heterosexual. In other words, it is part of the meaning of the term 'marriage' that only people of opposite sexes can be married, just as it is part of the meaning of the term 'bachelor' that only males can be bachelors. Let's call this semantic thesis about 'marriage' the 'heterosexual marriage thesis' (HMT). Advocates of HMT claim that even if it is right to allow homosexual couples to enter civil unions with the same rights and entitlements as heterosexual couples, it would be a misuse of language, a conceptual confusion, to call such unions 'marriages'. In order to assess the truth of HMT, I will first discuss some theories about concepts and meaning that seem to me quite plausible. Following this, I will argue that if we accept the theories I have discussed then it is probably the case that HMT is false. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 07 Jan 2009 | 2008/2009 Israel/Gaza conflict (Introduction by John Bentley) | ||
| Breathing (Roden Peter Woodhams) was cancelled at the last moment. Instead there was a group discussion on the 2008/2009 Israel - Gaza conflict, introduced by John Bentley. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Dec 2008 | The proposed Australian internet clean feed is immoral (John Bentley) | ||
| It is lamentable that the first line of defence to the proposed Internet clean feed has come from computer technicians (as technicians). The proposal is not limited to blocking child pornography but all illegal content. Even if the proposed internet clean feed worked, completely and only blocking illegal content, and not effecting speed, it would be immoral (that which ought not be done, for the general benefit). Sometimes speech should be, and is, justly limited. However, there are many expressions that are presently illegal which constitute an unjust limit to free speech. It ought not be illegal to: make historical claims contrary to evidence (eg holocaust denial); to vilify persons on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexuality or other group characteristics; to express or promote hate; to depict sexual violence; to make false moral claims which the majority disagree with (eg advocate sexual violence); to advocate suicide, to advocate terrorism, or to express that which is offensive. Furthermore, any content that an adult should be free to access should be free for a child to access. It ought be illegal for a parent to limit a child's access to content. All of us, adult or child, should have access to content that may harm or disturb us. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Dec 2008 | The way of the sensualist: Don Juan's Defence (with angels) (Chris Sanderson) | ||
| A serious look at pleasure, lust, greed and self-indulgence. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 19 Nov 2008 | Can Philosophy save the market? (Joffre Balce) | ||
| Many call economics "the dismal science". Rather than just relying on the current science to get out of the vicious cycles of poverty, booms & busts, let's try thinking out of the box with philosophy first questioning the parameters of the box & drawing alternative paradigms of economic development. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 Nov 2008 | The religious right. Who are the fundamentalists? (Graham Hoskin) | ||
| I will be dealing with Protestant fundamentalism, but there are some similarities with other forms of fundamentalism - Islamic etc. I will outline 6 yardsticks which help to define fundamentalism - i.e. yardsticks which separate Protestant fundamentalism from conservative Protestantism, and help to explain the type of fundamentalism which is dominant in American Protestantism, and is portrayed in the Andrew Denton film, "God on My Side". My thesis is that a hundred years ago, Protestantism in America took a definite turn to the right - i.e. to the right of historic Reformation theology derived from Luther and Calvin and the Great Reformers, and from the historic church fathers like Augustine. It is a mistake to focus on conservative Protestantism or Catholicism, because I am talking about a clear shift to the right; not to adherence to conservative positions on a range of issues. As I will argue there are very big differences between conservatives and fundamentalists, and even on an issue like abortion where they are theoretically on the same side there are very significant differences. Conservatives and fundamentalists are both opposed to liberalism in religion, but it should not be forgotten that there are also very big differences between conservative Protestants (eg Sydney Anglicans) and fundamentalists, eg The American Religious Right. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 15 Oct 2008 | Kierkegaard on Aesthetic Loving (Skye Nettleton) | ||
| While aesthetic loving relationships are intoxicating and extraordinarily interesting, Kierkegaard says that they are also fleeting, immature, lack real commitment and are doomed to end in despair when confronted with the existential abyss. To overcome this inevitable despair, Kierkegaard recommends a leap of faith to love thy neighbour. This presentation will outline Kierkegaard's doctrine of love and explore some of the following questions: Is a leap of faith "bad faith"? Do aesthetic loving relationships necessarily reflect immaturity? And is loving aesthetically an authentic leap out of the existential abyss? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 01 Oct 2008 | The Stories of My Life (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
| I do not come to the position of presenter at Philorum from a lifetime of privilege. I know what it is like to be very short of money. I know what it is like to live in rented flats. Therefore, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to talk about the stories that make up our life, the stories that are at the basis for our identity. Stories that we tell to others, but also the stories that we tell to ourselves. The stories that are a reflection of our identity, or maybe even, as some say, its core. How important is for us it that these stories are coherent? How important is a proper story line? Does it matter if the stories changes over time, or if it does not quite match up with reality? Are we the owner of these stories, and if we are, do we have the right to rewrite the story as we like? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Sep 2008 | Evolution, ethics, and evolutionary pyschology (John August) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Sep 2008 | Teaching kids about evolution (Kathryn Pryor) | ||
| Jurgen Lawrenz is missing in action. His "Art and the object mentality" is therefore cancelled. Aya Ryn writes: I will be sharing my experiences of teaching kids about evolution. We will talk about several cute little illustrative examples of evolution that I have discussed with kids. Then I will share some adorable ideas about evolution that my students have come up with. I welcome you to share any natural selection examples that you think would be good to share with kids. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 20 Aug 2008 | A dialogue on scepticism. (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
| Roughly, philosophical scepticism is the view that knowledge is unattainable. This talk will consist of a dialogue where two fictional characters discuss scepticism. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 06 Aug 2008 | Open Forum | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 Jul 2008 | The theory and practice of the Inquisition and the Crusades. (Joffre Balce) | ||
| This is a study on two epochs: the Crusades & the Inquisition. The discussion endeavours to understand them in their respective context. From the perspective of philosophy, it will seek to draw lessons of their importance, relevance & impact on human history & society. The talk is open to all people of religion, ideology, inclination in or even the absence of a belief system & endeavours to make no discrimination for or against any individual, institution or culture. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Jul 2008 | Raoul Vanigen V The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.(Edward Neylan) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 18 Jun 2008 | Open Forum | ||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 04 Jun 2008 | Reflections on the Bill Henson controversy (Adrian Tan) | ||
| Note: images of naked children may be displayed. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 21 May 2008 | Value judgements and mental illness. (Tim) | ||
|
MC |
Aya Ryn |
||
| Wed 07 May 2008 | It happens without effort, it happens without restraint. (Kathryn Pryor) | ||
| ... Once upon a time, my brother used to dump his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. A simple fix to this problem was to place the dirty clothes basket in the way of the floor so that instead of landing on the floor, his dirty clothes land straight in the dirty clothes basket. ... Once upon a time there was grass and weeds growing between the cracks in the path in an old lady's back yard. Every week she wasted time weeding these plants until she had a bright idea. Instead of continuing to weed the cracks to get rid of plants, she planted some parsley seeds in the cracks to take the place of the grass and weeds! Obviously cracks in pavements are a good environment for plants to grow, otherwise the weeds wouldn't grow there - it's warm (because the pavers heat up in the sun), the rain runs off the pavers into the cracks giving the plants in the cracks plenty of moisture. Needless to say, parsley thrived in the cracks and the old lady was able to pick it to use in her meals. Whatsmore, she didn't have to waste any more time weeding the path. This philorum talk is about exploiting existing habits and trends in both people and the environment to create systems that work, are efficient and survive. Another appropriate title may be "The evolution of effective systems". | |||
|
MC |
Daniel Coorey |
||
| Wed 16 Apr 2008 | The Sands of Gallipoli: Secular Religion in Australia. (Peter Farleigh) | ||
| What counts as a religion? Consider certain practices or attitudes - like nationalism and the fanatical following of sport. Though 'secular' can they be regarded in any way as 'religious' activities? With the decline of traditional forms of religion do other things take their place? In other words, is the religious attitude a basic human attribute? Over the last 10 years at least (let's call it the Howard decade) we have seen the Gallipoli legend steadily gain in prominence and stature with pilgrimages to Turkey as almost a rite of passage. What are we to make of this and what will it become in the future? And what about a highly secular endeavour -- science -- is it sometimes promoted and practiced with the same fanatical attitudes as that of the religious fundamentalist? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Apr 2008 | Why you should always kill the kid. (Alex) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 19 Mar 2008 | Why I'm right and you're wrong. (Daniel Coorey) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 Mar 2008 | The Manipulated Man, Ester Vilar and Love. (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
| Ester Vilar wrote at the height of the second feminist wave in 1971 "The Manilputated Man", a book on the gender relations that takes the uncommon view that it is not the men who oppress the women, but the women who exploit the men. The cover explains: "The Manipulated Man is modern man, grinding away in a lucrative job, so that as a person he is not more exciting than a robot. His intelligence has been numbed down into believing that his sole function is to provide for his parasites, one wife and one or more infants." | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 20 Feb 2008 | Why letting go of emotion and attachment is the first principle in reason. (Alex) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 06 Feb 2008 | Leibniz's metaphysics is right after all. (Jurgen Lawrenz) | ||
| The philosophy of Leibniz is often considered to be the archetype of all stuffy metaphysical doctrines, out of touch with real life and an attempt to portray the world as a panpsychism. By the same token, his science is still well-appreciated. But how can the two be separated when they spring from the same mind? Strange to relate, several prominent physicists of our time found his metaphysics extremely relevant to fundamental issues of their own researches - and discovered in his metaphysical papers propositions of such startling originality and novelty that (as one of them wrote) 'Leibniz's conception of the universe appears to come closer to its true reality than any other known account.' In this presentation I will highlight some aspects of the Monadology which bear on these issues and are apt to close the gap between metaphysics and 'reality'. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 Jan 2008 | Kabril Gibran's book, "The Prophet". (Prudence Allan) | ||
| A special guest will recite some of the poetry within the book. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 Jan 2008 | Is the Golden Rule Really Auriferous? (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
| The Golden Rule tells us that we ought to treat others as we would want others to treat us. It is perhaps the most widely accepted moral principle in the world. Versions of the Golden Rule can be found in most of the world's major religious creeds and it has also been popular with non-religious groups such as secular humanists. But what exactly does the Golden Rule prescribe? If one were to live by the Golden Rule what sort of morality would they be committing themselves to? In this talk I will attempt to answer these questions and in doing so, I will proffer that the Golden Rule is a fool's gold - something that promises much on first appearances, buts fails to deliver following a close inspection. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 19 Dec 2007 | For one night only a Philorum super christmas extravaganza (Edward Neylan) | ||
| For the last Philorum of the year, we will be having, for "One Night Only" a Super Philorum Xmas (or Festivus) extravaganza. Edward Neylan will not just be presenting on one topic, but up to 20 different topics, reviewing many of the talks that have been given this year at Philorum. So if you have missed out on one, a few, or even all talks so far this year, don't despair, you can catch up this wednesday with the Philorum Super Xmas Extravaganza year in review ! | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 Dec 2007 | Egoism and Altruism (Ben Felden) | ||
| There exists two distinct models for how one should concern life; both of which have their advocates. A concern for others through a compassionate, altruistic life is described by many as virtuous. At the same time a concern for oneself through a selfish, egoistic life is described by many others as virtuous. This issue is explored from three angles; 1. psychological/mathematical, 2. personal/philosophical, and 3. social/political. A resolution is proposed drawing reference to reciprocal altruism, enlightened self interest, and secular buddhism. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 21 Nov 2007 | Every now and Zen (Joffre Balce) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 07 Nov 2007 | Why you should vote invalid this election. (John Bentley) | ||
| Simon Longstaff has argued that "A valid vote is, in my opinion, the most fundamental expression of popular sovereignty." (The ethics of informal voting, September 2007, http://www.ethics.org.au/about-ethics/ethics-centre-articles/ethics-subjects/politics/article-0490.html). He qualifies this with "there may be at least one situation when an informal vote could be preferable. In circumstances where the field of candidates is, in your opinion, uniformly feeble, then anything other than an informal [invalid] vote may be misleading." This circumstance applies this election. No party stands for: An increase of Australia's Foreign Aid to 1% of Gross National Product to stop death from poverty; Democratising the United Nations and giving it a military force more powerful than the United States; An Economic System that aims at increased material power for each, and not growth in total production and consumption; Global Population Shrink; Full Unemployment http://www.philorum.org/speech/20051207JohnBentley.html; The right for every sane individual to harm themselves, and to get social assistance (whether free market or universal health care) to harm themselves; http://www.geocities.com/russellian_society/onliberty.pdf The right to fuck in public http://www.philorum.org/speech/20060301JohnBentleyPublicFucking.html. There are more. Come to philorum and discuss, raise, and rail against policies that are important to you. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 17 Oct 2007 | The Nature of Philosophical Analysis (Ellen Watson) | ||
| What are we doing when we do philosophy? What are philosophers doing when they discuss terms that are also used in everyday language, like "knowledge", "reason", "truth", or "consciousness"? Should philosophers even be allowed to talk about these terms? Do philosophers have anything interesting to say to speakers of everyday language, or do the terms just become jargon? I will look at a variety of answers to these questions from philosophers such as Socrates, G.E. Moore, Wittgenstein, and Quine. | |||
|
Quick Issues |
Edward Neylan: Should you be allowed to advocate rape at Philorum? |
||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 03 Oct 2007 | Property Rights (John August) | ||
|
MC |
Ellen Watson |
||
| Wed 19 Sep 2007 | Nietzsche and Love (Skye Nettleton) | ||
| Nietzsche recommended that when a man goes to a woman, he should take a whip. Is it for the man to beat the woman with or vice versa? Is the whip for punishment or pleasure? One can only speculate as to whether Nietzsche was into S&M, and what his philosophy of power could mean for romantic love relationships. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 05 Sep 2007 | Anti Theism (Ian Woolf) | ||
| Whether Gods exist or not is merely an empirical question to be answered by science. Atheism is the trivial case. Assuming empiricial proof, if we are responsible for our own actions, then why should the existence of Gods effect our moral decisions in any way? Is it in our self-interest to form adult relationships of unequal power? If They force us to behave immorally, should we not rebel against Them? Anti-Theism proposes that if the Gods exist, it is wrong to abide Them | |||
|
MC |
Ellen Watson |
||
| Wed 15 Aug 2007 | Phenomenology of Love in the Kama Sutra (Joffre Balce) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 01 Aug 2007 | Why didn't you free David Hicks? Collective guilt and individual responsibility. (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 18 Jul 2007 | Unexplicated Russell (Prem) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 04 Jul 2007 | Error Theory in Metaethics. (Matthew Hammerton) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 20 Jun 2007 | What are Values? (John Bacon) | ||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 06 Jun 2007 | The Serpent in the Mediterranean Paradise of Clarity: Russell and Whitehead on relations. (Peter Farleigh) | ||
| In a memoir published in the 1950s, Bertrand Russell wrote about his life almost half a century before. It is a wonderful and simply written piece packed with a host of interesting ideas, some of which I will outline for our discussion. Among them: the nature of relations, internal and external; the difference between mechanism and organism, between pluralism and monism; and some interesting aspects in the nature of perception. I will also show how his development of logical atomism in some ways contributed to the philosophical foundations of computation and information theory. Tackling these issues represented a pivotal change in Russell's thinking and consequently contributed to the birth of modern analytical philosophy. But, we should ask; has it been the paradise of clear thinking he had hoped? | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 16 May 2007 | "Consciousness Explained" Explained (Ellen Watson) | ||
| Fundamental to the Western philosophical tradition is the idea that we have direct, undoubtable knowledge of our own internal mental states. In fact some treat this knowledge as the foundation for all other knowledge of ourselves and the world. However, recently a number of philosophers have been moved by a scientific understanding of the human brain to doubt this philosophical axiom, and some have gone so far as to deny that consciousness even exists. How could someone be moved to make this claim? In my presentation I will present the basic arguments that lead to a denial of consciousness, and the removal of the primacy of experience as a foundation for knowledge. I'll focus mainly on Daniel Dennett's book "Consciousness Explained" and Paul Churchland's book "Matter and Consciousness". | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 02 May 2007 | Moral Intuitions (Adrian Tan) | ||
|
Quick Issues |
Adrian Tan |
||
|
MC |
Edward Neylan |
||
| Wed 18 Apr 2007 | Anti Theism (Open Forum) | ||
| Whether Gods exist or not is merely an empirical question to be answered by science. Atheism is the trivial case. Assuming empiricial proof, if we are responsible for our own actions, then why should the existence of Gods effect our moral decisions in any way? Is it in our self-interest to form adult relationships of unequal power? If They force us to behave immorally, should we not rebel against Them? Anti-Theism proposes that if the Gods exist, it is wrong to abide Them. | |||
|
MC |
Edward Neylan |
||
| Wed 04 Apr 2007 | Are we morally obliged to fuck'n swear? (John Bentley) | ||
| Specifically, are we morally obliged to swear when speaking to strangers or to those who would rather we did not? Using the flagship swear word "cunt" we'll go through the arguments usually given to show that swearing, in these situations, is not morally permissible. They don't work and therefore the moral orthodoxy that swearing, in these situations, is not morally permissible, is false. A separate but related moral orthodoxy is what could be called "offencivism": that we ought to be free to speak so long as we do not offend another. There exists a moral obligation to defend an adequate freedom for speech by overturning offencivism. Swearing, for the time being, is required for this and is therefore a moral fuck'n obligation. | |||
|
MC |
Thea Kremser |
||
| Wed 21 Mar 2007 | Tantra : Dissolving the Masks - Finding the Heart (Garry K) | ||
| In the process of socialization that we undergo to become part of a given society we disown parts of ourselves that society or family find unacceptable in an effort to fit in - during this subtle process and over time various psychological defences begin to operate habitually and act to separate ourselves from our true nature - Tantra is a very powerful set of techniques for dissolving these defences and honouring that true nature. | |||
|
Quick Issues |
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 07 Mar 2007 | Buddhism and Science (Ben Felden) | ||
| Open to all. Philorum welcomes those with The Sydney Humanism Meetup Group. http://humanism.meetup.com/165/calendar/5514552/?a=mu_qvmrbdl6e1 Are Buddhism and Science conflicting or complementary enterprises? This talk covers a range of topics including; the views of famous mathematicians and scientists on Buddhism; the evidence for the maharishi effect, sub-atomic 'kalapas', and re-incarnation; the latest in mindfulness-based meditation, positive psychology, buddhist psychology, and the 'Shamatha Project'. Finally an 'overlapping magisteria' model is presented to understand how Buddhism and Science should co-exist. | |||
|
MC |
Skye Nettleton |
||
| Wed 28 Feb 2007 | Philorum Annex At the Fair Trade Coffe Company: Consciousness (John August) | ||
| An Ad hoc meeting, extra to the usual 1st and 3rd Wed meetings. Where: 33 Glebe Point Road, Glebe 2037. http://www.fairtradecoffeecompany.com.au/. Map: http://www.palms.org.au/fairtradecoffeecompany/images/map1.jpg Cost: Free (Patronise the cafe). When: Speech 19:00 - 22:00 (End time dependent on how busy the cafe is). For those that wish, Dinner in the cafe at 18:00 ish. David Chalmers first defined the "easy problem" as the search for the neural correlates of consciousness. I plan to review some of the insights which are mostly derived from empirical research, including how our consciousness (or whatever we might label as "goes on") is in fact a cooperation between disparate modules. Equally, we can learn a lot from brain injuries and neurological deficits. There are many interesting aspects to review; an important one is the "synfire theory", which is the most tantalising approach for bridging the gap between firing neurons and the memory in the brain. The second part of my presentation will details the the "hard problem", the question of why consciousness awareness exists at all, and why the information processing does not go on "in the dark". As a part of this review, I'll consider some contemporary issues such as Searle's Chinese Room, the Cartesian Theatre, the worth of introspection, intentionality and zombies and zimboes. My explanation for consciousness has much in common with Dennett's "Zimbo" approach - that for a sufficiently complicated information processing machine, able to analyse its own experience, the experience of consciousness will naturally arise. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 21 Feb 2007 | Loving Egoistically (Skye Nettleton) | ||
| Max Stirner's "The Ego and His Own" (1844) is regarded as the seminal work in nihilistic egoism and ranks him a progenitor of atheistic existentialism. Stirner's pre-existential philosophy is widely regarded as anarchistic and manipulative. However, setting aside conservative moral judgements, Stirner provides refreshing and liberating insights into how a philosophy of romantic love relationships might work. | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Skye Nettleton |
||
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 07 Feb 2007 | Naming and Necessity (Ellen Watson) | ||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 17 Jan 2007 | Insights through Vipassana meditation (Thea Kremser) | ||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Thea Kremser |
||
|
Vipassana Meditation Centre at Blackheath
|
|||
|
MC |
John August |
||
| Wed 03 Jan 2007 | The Meaning of Life (Ellen Watson) | ||
| In order to address the question of the meaning of life, I'm going to break it down into two different questions, and then evaluate some candidate answers. The two questions are, first, what constitutes a self, and then, given the answer the first question, what should one do to live the best life? And the candidate answers I'll be looking at fall into these five groups: I am my body (physical self, bloodline, ancestors); I am my mind (ideas, values, experiences, personality); I am what I do (career, achievements, history, biography); I am my relationships (family, culture, children); I am my stuff (possessions, collections, prostheses, scaffolding); | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Ellen Watson |
||
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
Ben Felden |
||
| Wed 20 Dec 2006 | End of the World (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
| The idea that at some point in the near future the world, or even time itself, will cease to exist is a central concept in many religious traditions. Modern secular society typically shrugs when confronted with end-of-time prophecies. However, even the secular society cherishes its own doomsdays scenarios: from climate change and y2k bug to nuclear winter and bird flu. Why is the idea of an impending end-of-the world so attractive? To what extent does it determine our view on the world? What does it tell us about our idea of our position in the world, and what about our concept of time? | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Ansgar Fehnker |
||
|
Ansgar's End of the World Blog
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 06 Dec 2006 | Existential Love (Skye Nettleton) | ||
| Simone de Beauvoir's and Jean-Paul Sartre's life-long experiment for a new philosophy that could really be lived is a fascinating, inspiring, liberating and outrageously intense love story. In Hazel Rowley's recent book Tete-a-Tete, regarding Simone de Beauvoir's and Jean-Paul Sartre's relationships, she asks: Why settle for monogamy when you can have freedom and stability, love affairs and commitment? Why keep secrets when you have a best friend and lover to whom you can tell anything and everything? (Yes, everything - including every sordid detail of other sexual encounters!) We will discuss what loving existentially means through a fresh analysis of the lives and existential philosophies of the lovers Beauvoir and Sartre. | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Skye Nettleton |
||
|
Speech
Cogito Journal of Philosophy 2006. Including "Loving Existentially: Liaisons Dangereuses and Romantic Love Philosophies of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre" by Skye (.pdf) |
|||
|
Quick Issues |
|||
|
MC |
Ben Felden |
||
| Wed 15 Nov 2006 | Meditation, European Philosophy and Secular Humanism (Ben Felden) | ||
| The presentation will begin with a basic conceptual and practical framework of meditation practice. There will then be an exploration of meditation in relation to philosophy: What philosophies are associated with meditation practices and by what criteria can we assess them? What does science have to say about meditation and vice versa? should we adopt a wholly Buddhist philosophy of meditation? Or are there western philosophies, such as Existentialism, that provide a better framework? Should meditation be adopted as an important element of western philosophies? Could it serve as a vital spark for secular Humanism? | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Ben Felden |
||
|
Speech
Ben Feldon's Personal site Amura The Sydney Meditation Meetup Group The Sydney Humanism Meetup Group |
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 01 Nov 2006 | The word "Om" (Adrian Tan) | ||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 18 Oct 2006 | How to successfully predict human behaviour (Allan McCay) | ||
| In this paper I will attempt to create an exhaustive list of the ways in which one person could successfully predict the behaviour of another. I will attempt to identify a number of different explanations for these predictive successes. I then go on to look at behavioural genetics to see which of the explanations could explain the success of the predictions of behavioural geneticists. Finally I will briefly consider the implications for the free will debate. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 04 Oct 2006 | The Humanist Philosophy (John August) | ||
| Humanism is a philosophical life stance which is a development from atheism. Its positions include : - A naturalistic, non-supernatural view of the world. - A unity between mind and body, with humans an evolutionary by-product - Faith in humans being able to solve challenges by their own means without the need for supernatural agencies. - Endorsement of free will and a rejection of fatalism originating in determinism - though it is compatible with an "emotionally positive" determinism. - Holding a valid ethical framework can be derived from tangible experience without the need for supernatural agencies. - Life satisfaction is obtained through a combination of personally. satisfying activities along with productive endeavours which benefit the community. - The appreciation of nature and the aesthetic experience are valid and worthwhile without any need for the supernatural. - World democracy, peace and a flourishing economic order are worthwhile and achievable goals. - The application of reason to democratic government combined with full civil liberties and freedom of expression. I'll be outlining elements of the humanist life stance above along with some further consequences of the position, including consideration of contemporary atheistic movements and comparisons of humans to animals, aliens and post-human civilisation. | |||
|
MC |
Ansgar Fehnker |
||
| Wed 20 Sep 2006 | Even if free will existed, you wouldn't want it. (Ellen Watson) | ||
| The idea that human beings have free will forms the foundation of many people's very conception of human nature. It also forms the grounds of many moral systems, those that rely on the principle that people can be held responsible for their actions because they freely chose to do them. This conception of human free will is threatened by a deterministic understanding of the physical world. If human beings are part of nature and nature is determined by the laws of physics (or of other sciences), then doesn't it follow that our actions are not free, and that choice is an illusion? I'm going to present a way out of this problem. It turns out that when you actually try to define what free will would be, the very concept appears flawed and nonsensical. I will argue that if you get something free enough, it no longer looks anything like will, and vice versa. I will try to convince you to stop wanting free will, and therefore you will no longer be troubled by determinism. I will also explore two alternative views that might offer other ways out of the problem - one a different conception of causation in the natural world, and the other a consideration of free will at a different level of explanation. | |||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Even if free will existed, you wouldn't want it. |
Ellen Watson |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 06 Sep 2006 | Utopias (Edward Neylan) | ||
|
MC |
Ansgar Fehnker |
||
| Wed 16 Aug 2006 | The Israel Lebanon conflict. (John August) | ||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
The Israel Lebanon conflict. (John August) |
John August |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 02 Aug 2006 | Civil Disobedience. (Adrian Tan) | ||
|
MC |
Edward Neylan |
||
| Wed 19 Jul 2006 | Should drugs be legalised or decriminalized? (Oliver Ledoux) | ||
| If so what model should be used? And who should be responsible for the application and regulation of the policy? | |||
|
MC |
Edward Neylan |
||
| Wed 05 Jul 2006 | Public Health and Individual Responsibility. | ||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Public Health and Individual Responsibility. |
Ivette Mendoza q |
|
|
Andrew Crooks' Quick Issue: The Nature and Cause of Racism.
|
|||
| Wed 21 Jun 2006 | Madness. (Catherine Jones) | ||
| Although madness is difficult to define precisely some forms entail marked flights from reality. Hallucinations can involve a world of demons, monsters, and absurdities, which make for an experience akin to a horror movie. An experience which can challenge allegiance to life itself. This is why so many mad people commit suicide - they've been scared to death. | |||
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 07 Jun 2006 | Why Schooling is bad for you.(Edward Neylan) | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 25 mins) |
Why Schooling is bad for you.(Edward Neylan) |
Edward Neylan |
|
|
Quick Issues |
More pain V more life. (Ian Woolf) |
||
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 17 May 2006 | Abortions: Beyond Access. (John August) | ||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Abortions: Beyond Access. (John August) |
John August |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 03 May 2006 | Shouldn't we exorcise spirituality from our lives? (5-7 min Intro by John Bentley) | ||
| Some atheists and agnostics claim a wish for, or success at, living spiritually. Is this mere religious residue that will lead them to waste their time? Is a "spiritual life" vague nonsense? If we don't live spiritually what might be an alternative? Shopping? Happiness? Meaning, authenticity, the sublime, being productive, enlightenment, being ethical, art, peace of mind, improving the world, it's-all-for-the-music, striving to be your best, becoming part of something larger than yourself, or cricket? Are some of these alternatives vague nonsense too or otherwise troubling? | |||
|
MC |
Ian Woolf |
||
| Wed 19 Apr 2006 | Does more material wealth make you better off? (5-7 min Introduction by John Bentley) | ||
| Siddhartha Gautama, Christ, and Francis of Assisi renounced material wealth to some extent. Were they wrong? To be charged with "materialism" can mean spending too much time seeking or getting satisfaction from material wealth. Yet many economies, if not all, are directed toward increasing material wealth without bound. Assuming no environmental or distribution issues shouldn't increases in material wealth improve our lives? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 05 Apr 2006 | Freedom of Speech and the Danish Cartoons. (Ansgar Fehnker) | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 10 mins) |
Freedom of Speech and the Danish Cartoons. (Ansgar Fehnker) |
Ansgar Fehnker |
|
|
Speech Blog
|
|||
|
MC |
Ian Woolf |
||
| Wed 15 Mar 2006 | Laws Against Terror. (Ian Woolf) | ||
|
Speaker ( - mins) |
Laws Against Terror. (Ian Woolf) |
Ian Woolf |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 01 Mar 2006 | Should fucking in public be legalised? (John Bentley) | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 25 mins) |
Should fucking in public be legalised? (John Bentley) |
John Bentley |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
| Wed 15 Feb 2006 | At the Botanic Gardens. How can we stop the United States from being an immoral dictatorship? (Open Forum) | ||
| Philorum is open to all political views so you could challenge that the US is this. Is Global Justice desirable? If so, what form should it take and how do we get there? | |||
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 01 Feb 2006 | At Bondi.Your offensive idea (Open Forum). | ||
| Bring along your offensive idea or criticise the offensive ideas of others. | |||
|
MC |
John August |
||
| Wed 18 Jan 2006 | Torture and photography (Adrian Tan) | ||
| We will meet in the open, on the steps in front of Bondi Pavilion, 18:15 for 18:30 start. We will break for an hour for dinner at a local eatery. Finish 21:30. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 04 Jan 2006 | What significance does death have for our life? (Open Forum) | ||
| Would you choose to be immortal if you could? If you discovered you had X time period to live is the extent to which you would change your life the extent of its failure? If you are in your prime is it necessarily counter to self interest to kill yourself on whim? | |||
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 21 Dec 2005 | Light Pollution (John August) | ||
| Light pollution takes away the stars from our sky and narrows the life experience we have in the city, taking us away from the spectacular starscape our ancestors took for granted. Unlike other forms of pollution, there is no excuse, and little amelioration - we cannot say so easily that with improved technology and wealth we will reduce light pollution, as we did with air pollution and photochemical smog. Light pollution is always with us as our economy "progresses" - and tells us something important about economic development, and the cost of progress. | |||
| Wed 07 Dec 2005 | Workplace Reform: We should aim for full unemployment. (John Bentley) | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 25 mins) |
Workplace Reform: We should aim for full unemployment. (John Bentley) |
John Bentley |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
| Wed 16 Nov 2005 | Prediction and Free Will (Allan McCay) | ||
| Scientific developments in areas such as behavioural genetics have raised the possibility of better predictions of how people will behave than are currently available. For example, there is some suggestion that it may be possible to more accurately predict who may commit criminal offences. What might better predictions about behaviour mean for free will?. It will be argued that slightly better predictions would undermine free will a little and excellent predictions would undermine it a lot. The focus will be on the libertarian position with regard free will rather than the compatibilist position. | |||
| Wed 02 Nov 2005 | Objectifying | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 10 mins) |
Objectifying |
Adrian Tan |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
| Wed 19 Oct 2005 | Open Forum | ||
| Several 2-3 minute slots to talk about whatever you like. | |||
|
MC |
|||
| Wed 05 Oct 2005 | Open Forum | ||
| Note "Illusions and Delusions of Happiness", Caroline West now on Wed 12 Oct 2005. Russoc guest lecture. 19.15. Holme Common Room, Holme Building, Science Road, University of Sydney. http://www.geocities.com/russellian_society/ | |||
| Wed 21 Sep 2005 | Open Forum. | ||
| You should get at least one 2-3 minute space to express anything on your mind. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 07 Sep 2005 | Is the use of force ever justified? (Open Forum) | ||
| Can a world be created where personal or military force is never needed? If so, how? If the use of force is sometimes justified what are the conditions? | |||
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 17 Aug 2005 | What should be the limits to Free Speech? | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 10 mins) |
What should be the limits to Free Speech? |
John Bentley |
|
|
MC |
Adrian Tan |
||
| Wed 03 Aug 2005 | The Ritzian alternative to the theory of relativity. (John August) | ||
| Einstein's special theory of relativity is said to be well supported, the only possible way of explaining the universe. However, Ritzian theory represents an important alternative. Many situations which relativity explains can also be explained by Ritzian theory - and the evidence for the postulates of relativity is patchy at best. There will be an outline of Einstein's theory, and how it first arose from problems with Maxwell's theory and early attempts to explain the propagtion of light together with electric and magnetic fields. It will be argued Ritzian theory provides alternative explanations for mass increase, time dilation and other phenomena. If you wish to read up: http://arachnid.apana.org.au/johna/ritz.html | |||
| Wed 20 Jul 2005 | What is Love? | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 15 mins) |
What is Love? |
Pedro Nunes |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 06 Jul 2005 | Happiness? (Open Forum) | ||
| What is it? How do you get it? Should something else besides it be pursued? | |||
| Wed 15 Jun 2005 | A first principles approach to drugs, crime, capital punishment, terrorism, nuclear proliferation and other social issues. | ||
|
Speaker (15 - 20 mins) |
A first principles approach to drugs, crime, capital punishment, terrorism, nuclear proliferation and other social issues. |
Phil Wong |
|
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 01 Jun 2005 | Is Time Travel Possible? | ||
|
Speaker (15 - 25 mins) |
Is Time Travel Possible? |
Mark Virtue |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 18 May 2005 | Free Will and Determinism. | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 25 mins) |
Free Will and Determinism. |
Karen Crighton |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 04 May 2005 | The rights of non-human animals. (Open Forum) | ||
| Should non-human animals have some rights? Are there morally significant differences between humans and non-human animals? Is being a vegan a silly new age notion like healing crystals and iridology? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 20 Apr 2005 | Prejudice, generalisations, and judging individuals. (Open Forum) | ||
| "I am quietly judging you." defensively slurs Frank TJ Mackey, Tom Cruise in Magnolia (1999), against the reporter exposing fraudulent credentials. Even if we can remove our own: prejudice about an individual and/or; false generalisations about groups an individual might belong to; Are all other types of judgement about individuals wrong? Is it possible not to judge an individual? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 06 Apr 2005 | Truth Subjectivism. (Open Forum) | ||
| Is what is true for an individual or group whatever that individual or group believes to be true? Related issues: Does it make any sense to say there is truth? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 16 Mar 2005 | Moral Relativism. (Open Forum) | ||
| Is what is morally right for a group to do whatever a group believes it is right to do? Related issue: Are there moral truths? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 02 Mar 2005 | What is Art? (Open Forum) | ||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 16 Feb 2005 | Political Correctness. (Open Forum) | ||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 02 Feb 2005 | Reflections on the Tsunami | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 15 mins) |
Reflections on the Tsunami |
Adrian Tan |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 01 Dec 2004 | Values. (Open Forum) | ||
| Does valuing somethings over others lead to a better life? Are they arbitrary? Are moral beliefs values? What do you value? | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 03 Nov 2004 | Pacifism (Open Forum) | ||
| Issues related to Pacifism. Is military force or war necessary? Is it sometimes right to kill noncombatants? Future meetings may deal more squarely with "Was the Iraq war just"? And "What kind of World Order ought we have?" | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 06 Oct 2004 | What is the meaning of life? (Open Forum) | ||
| Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 15 Sep 2004 | Freedom - Aboriginal Sovereignty and Peace | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 10 mins) |
Freedom - Aboriginal Sovereignty and Peace |
Pat Lavilles |
|
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 01 Sep 2004 | (Open Forum) | ||
| Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also. | |||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 18 Aug 2004 | (Open Forum) | ||
| Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also. | |||
|
Quick Issues |
Luca Searle |
Adrian Tan |
|
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 04 Aug 2004 | (Open Forum) | ||
| Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also. | |||
| Wed 21 Jul 2004 | Championing The Individual | ||
|
Speaker (5 - 10 mins) |
Championing The Individual |
Steve Dick |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
Quick Issues |
Luca Searle |
George Endacott |
|
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 07 Jul 2004 | Philorum was suspended. James Franklin's "Corrupting Youth" at GleeBooks | ||
| Philorum was suspended for this day. Instead At Gleebooks there was. The Responsibility of Philosophers. Raimond Gaita in conversation with James Franklin & Jean Curthoys about Franklin's new book 'Corrupting the Youth' - an "opinionated" history of Australian Philosophy. | |||
| Wed 16 Jun 2004 | Is there anything wrong with a big ego? | ||
|
Speaker (10 - 20 mins) |
Is there anything wrong with a big ego? |
John Bentley |
|
|
Speech
|
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||
| Wed 02 Jun 2004 | Is there anything wrong with pornography? Is there anything wrong with pornography? | ||
|
Speaker (10 - 15 mins) |
Is there anything wrong with pornography? |
Patricia Petersen |
|
|
Pornography's legitimate place in society, by Patricia Petersen, Aug 98
Patricia Petersen, Speech 28 May 1999, Brisbane |
|||
|
Speaker (10 - 15 mins) |
Is there anything wrong with pornography? |
James Franklin |
|
|
Speech
James Franklin's Home Page |
|||
|
MC |
John Bentley |
||