Schedule
Here are all the up and coming enquiry topics and events.
| Topic | Venue | Presenter | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs... ? | The Crown (Liverpool) | Open forum | 24/06/2019 | 14:15 |
| What's wrong with taking recreational drugs? | ||||
| The War for Children's Minds (Steven Law) | Frodsham Community Centre | Derek Meakin | 25/06/2019 | 10:30 |
| In his book The War for Children's Minds (2006) contemporary philosopher Steven Law asks how we should bring up and educate children in such controversial fields as religion, morals and politics. On this question, he argues, there are two main schools of thought: (i) authoritarian and (ii) liberal. The former teaches the young to rely for their values on authority (e.g. traditional texts, priests, even political leaders), while the latter aims to equip children to think independently - the ideal of personal autonomy. Law supports the liberal approach. Is he right? Are there dangers here? What about the views of parents? Is the autonomy approach compatible with what we know about child development? These are just some of the questions raised by Law's fascinating book. | ||||
| Tate visit! | Bluecoat Art Centre (Liverpool) | The group | 25/06/2019 | 13:00 |
| METAPHOR? | Keith's Wine Bar (L'pool South) | Ross | 25/06/2019 | 19:15 |
| Wonder in the 21st century | Halfway House (Childwall) | Edna | 27/06/2019 | 19:15 |
| The Origins Of Morality | The Friday Forum | Corrie Lowry | 28/06/2019 | 14:00 |
| Claims to virtuousness! | The Sportsman (Huddersfield) | The group | 01/07/2019 | 19:00 |
| Priests and politicians claim to be virtuous. How are they virtuous and how should they be virtuous? | ||||
| TBA | The Dog & Partridge (Sheffield) | Rosie | 01/07/2019 | 19:45 |
| REASON? | The Rose & Crown (Bebington) | John Sell | 03/07/2019 | 13:00 |
| Free will | The Cock Hotel (Wellington) | 03/07/2019 | 19:00 | |
| If I'm offended does intention matter? | Littlebury Hotel (Bicester) | Open forum | 03/07/2019 | 19:30 |
| Benefits of philosophical thinking - Discuss. | The Blue Bell (Eccles) | Mike | 03/07/2019 | 19:30 |
| Is Gender a thing? | The Plough Inn (Herefordshire) | Michael | 03/07/2019 | 20:00 |
| 1st Wednesday in month | ||||
| Stoner | The Queen Hotel (Chester) | Russell | 07/07/2019 | 14:00 |
| Does truth matter? | The Saracen's Head (Stockton Heath) | 08/07/2019 | 07:00 | |
| Committee Meeting | The Crown (Liverpool) | Merseyside Committee | 08/07/2019 | 16:00 |
| Usual business and preparations for A G M | ||||
| The Gig Economy | Lime Kiln (Concert Square) | Group | 08/07/2019 | 18:15 |
| The Ethical Implications of AI | The Greyhound (Ormskirk) | 11/07/2019 | 07:30 | |
| Philosophy of Psychology | Halfway House (Childwall) | Open forum | 11/07/2019 | 19:15 |
| What is Socialism? | The Casa Bar (Liverpool) | Open forum | 14/07/2019 | 11:00 |
| Are the chances of socialism growing or fading? | ||||
| The Castle | The Vernon | John | 15/07/2019 | 18:15 |
| Kafka classic. | ||||
| Ethics of the Future | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | Open forum | 15/07/2019 | 19:00 |
| Ethics of the future. This was the title of a recent article in Philosophy Now examining how we apply ethics beyond the present. This is in response to comments you made regarding the environment and climate change including the ethics of zoos and living in cities. How do we take account of future generations when we consider our ethical values and actions? The article reexamines utilitarianism, as promoted by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, and suggests that 'pianism' might be more appropriate in this context. | ||||
| Bureaucracy ? | The Rose & Crown (Bebington) | Matt | 16/07/2019 | 13:00 |
| PIP's Annual General Meeting | The Ship & Mitre | Merseyside Committee | 17/07/2019 | 18:00 |
| All members welcome | ||||
| PIP's AGM | The Ship & Mitre | Merseyside PIPs | 17/07/2019 | 18:30 |
| TBA | The Greyhound (Newcastle-under-Lyme) | Linda L | 17/07/2019 | 19:30 |
| Why do we have huge inequalities? | The Blue Bell (Eccles) | Peter | 17/07/2019 | 19:30 |
| TBA | The Dog & Partridge (Sheffield) | Rosie | 05/08/2019 | 19:45 |
| RISK | The Rose & Crown (Bebington) | Martin | 06/08/2019 | 13:00 |
| How can we formulate philosophical questions? | The Blue Bell (Eccles) | Maggie | 07/08/2019 | 19:30 |
| TBA | The Plough Inn (Herefordshire) | Open forum | 07/08/2019 | 20:00 |
| The Unconsoled | The Vernon | Keith | 19/08/2019 | 18:15 |
| On your Marx... | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | The group | 19/08/2019 | 19:00 |
| On your Marx, get set, revolt! Revolutions are as old as human society, but re-engineering and economics to map out an alternative classless world. The term communism goes back as far as, yes, you’ve guessed it, Aristotle’s The Politics and most probably earlier. However, Marx’s critique of Capitalism was a catalyst to a succession of great literature on the evil’s this economic system that continues to this day, for example Piketty’s Capital of 2013. A discussion on the continued relevance of Marx and his peers is unavoidable in any review of modern political theory. | ||||
| Why do we expect the Univers of Randomness to be fair? | The Blue Bell (Eccles) | Jane | 21/08/2019 | 19:30 |
| How can we achieve Happiness? | The Sportsman (Huddersfield) | The group | 02/09/2019 | 19:00 |
| The Frolic of the Beasts | The Vernon | Mary | 16/09/2019 | 18:15 |
| Mishima. | ||||
| Is war functional for society? | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | Open forum | 16/09/2019 | 19:00 |
| Is war functional for society? Some of you may recall that last year Mike encouraged us to look at Emile Durkheim’s theory that crime is functional for society. This approach moves beyond that idea and, perhaps, gives a different slant on Just War theory. Are there any positive consequences to large scale violence? | ||||
| Surveillance/punishment on Social Media? | The Sportsman (Huddersfield) | Open forum | 07/10/2019 | 19:00 |
| What is good/bad about the surveillance and punishment of what some people say on social media and elsewhere? | ||||
| Pereira Maintains | The Vernon | Jim | 21/10/2019 | 18:15 |
| Tabucchi. | ||||
| Have our politicians let us down? | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | Open forum | 21/10/2019 | 19:00 |
| Have our politicians let us down? We have seen recent referendums capture the attention of the public and lead to large voting turnouts. However, have the resultant divisions and political turmoil been worth it. This is a non-partisan look at the machinery of today's politics and those that manage and/or exploit them. Are there better alternatives? What do contemporary philosophers say on these matters? What you say on these matters, matters much more! This is the last, at least for this year, in our series on political philosophy. | ||||
| What are most entertaining Fictions and Fallacies today? | The Sportsman (Huddersfield) | Open forum | 04/11/2019 | 19:00 |
| Jeremy Bentham (1824) wrote wittily about fictions and fallacies based on what he learned when studying the House of Commons. What are the most entertaining Fictions and Fallacies today? | ||||
| To be revealed on the night! | The Exchange (Leicester) | Clare | 06/11/2019 | 19:20 |
| Stepping through the Ages | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | Open forum | 18/11/2019 | 19:00 |
| There have been numerous attempts to categorise the various phases of life, such as the Three Ages of Man by Titian or the Seven Ages of Man by Shakespeare. These artists have used their talents to examine and express the challenges we all face as we transition between different stages in our lives. The Philosophy of Change looks at how we live our lives and cope with these changes. How do we handle these challenges today and are there new factors that will make this easier or harder for our children? | ||||
| What is Literature? | The Sportsman (Huddersfield) | Open forum | 02/12/2019 | 19:00 |
| Should Bob Dylan have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature? | ||||
| Winter Equinox Special (TBA) | The Perch Rock (New Brighton) | The Perch Rockers | 16/12/2019 | 19:00 |