About us
A new year for Philosophy Unplugged
I am looking forward to launching another season of Philosophy Unplugged. This year we will again pivot the design of our meetups. Let me explain.
Our meetup exists to enable people to discuss interesting topics that are inherently complex. Ideally we learn something new, better understand and challenge our thinking, and connect with people with different perspectives. More practical, the better. Academic references are helpful but not our focus.
Hopefully this sounds reasonable, notwithstanding the challenges. People are distracted, pressed for time, read less, more remote from one another, attention spans are diminished. Nevertheless we likely consume more ‘content’ than ever through social media. Rather than resist, this year we will go with this flow.
John Vervaeke is a long-time professor of Cognitive Science/Philosophy at the University of Toronto, who, late in his career. has decided to evolve into a version of modern public thinker. Of course this mean going digital, and in 2019 he produced a 50 part series of lectures called ‘Awakening from the Meaning Crisis’. Episodes are 60 minutes and build on history, cognitive science, philosophical figures and their concepts, and Vervaeke’s thinking on navigating the landscapes of personal and societal meaning. You can readily access these on YT (https://shorturl.at/7mVQr), as well as on any podcast platform. Please scan a few episodes so you can form an impression.
In comparison to names like Chomsky, Zizek, Harari, Pinker, and many others, Verkaeke is a B-lister in terms of notoriety. Nevertheless, by promoting his ideas he has attracted a range of responses and critiques. Vervaeke’s content is a bit of gift for our purposes, given the breadth and scope of ideas and questions that are examined, and keeping in mind that our purpose will not be to agree or disagree with him on anything.
I will begin scheduling meetups for the fall that will be based on specific episodes, with prompting questions or comments to provoe the discussions. You will want to make the effort to consume YT/podcast episodes as we progress. Fortunately, the episodes stand on their own reasonably well.
Happy to hear any initial thoughts on this plan and suggestions.
All the best.
Upcoming events
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Awakening From the Meaning Crisis
University Centre, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON, CAWe continue our journey with lecture 4 of Vervaeke’s 50 episode series, titled Socrates and the Quest for Wisdom.
This lecture shifts from the origins of meaning and the Axial worldview toward wisdom as a lived, examined practice. The lecture addresses several distinctive themes:- Uniting truth and transformation: Socrates seeks knowledge that changes how we live.
- Attention-driven self-deception: we deceive ourselves, what stands out is not necessarily true or good.
- Questioning as self-examination: Socratic dialogue exposes contradictions and brings us to aporia.
- Knowing our ignorance: wisdom begins by recognizing the limits of our self-understanding.
- Reason and love working together: learning what deserves our care—and prioritizing character over possessions, status, or comfort—makes philosophy a way of life.
You can access on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhl51bZQlM8), or on most podcast platforms. In case you missed our meetup for earlier episodes, thanks to Barry’s suggestion, you can access summary notes at -
https://markmulvey.medium.com/awakening-from-the-meaning-crisis-by-john-vervaeke-ep-1-summary-notes-ccfb6a0ebf46All the best.
Hope to see you Nov 28 at the U of G UC, meeting by the Starbucks. Note plenty of free parking on campus on weekends.
4 attendees
Past events
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