PHILOSOPHY FORUM

TERM IV - OCTOBER TO END NOVEMBER

2011-09-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today's session considered the confusion over Australia's yet to be decided policy on accepting unwanted refugees arriving by boat and the moral position; we noted how quickly the famine in Somalia had vanished from the media and learned something of David Hume's philosophy.

It was agreed that the general format of our meetings should continue with the emphasis on the world around us, its absurdities and anomalies linked to comparable happenings and thoughts from the past.

Suggested topics for next term will include Machiavellian test papers (David Cash), Good & Evil', Youth and Age, Personal Responsibility and the Nanny State, the Morality of Affluence (Affluenza) London Riots and others, the Morality of messing with our food (including GM).

We welcomed the link established with Philosophy in Pubs in the UK, and will continue to share ideas and topics with them. See their website http://www.philosophyinpubs.org.uk/

TERM III - TERM IV 2011

2011-09-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Our last session on 14th September will see us wind up with a review of the philosophical thinking of David Hume (1711 - 1776), a look at an interpretation of Goethe's Faust in the light of our world today and an introduction to Logic by David Welsh.

Five sessions are planned for Term IV between October and end November with a programme which will be based on looking at present day topics linked to the thoughts of Philosophers of the past.

As T S Eliot expressed it:

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future in time past

TERM III - MID-TERM REPORT

2011-08-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed three lively sessions so far - our latest centred round the subject of the DE-CRIMINALISATION OF DRUGS.

Ron Steele made a comprehensive presentation of the subject and we were surprised that despite the success of the 10 year experiment in Portugal, no other country had even tried to experiment with the system.

The media seem to be happy to publicise addiction as well as highly-exaggerated tales of massive drug-busts by the police and surveillance agencies - the latter do not point out that these have had no effect on drug usage and subsequent jail terms.

TERM 3 JULY - SEPTEMBER 2011

2011-06-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Five meetings are sceduled for the coming Term at fortnightly intervals starting on 20th July.

At the last session it was agreed that the format should continue much as before with contributions from the members become more extensive with all attending getting their fair share of time to comment. We shall continue to contrast and compare topical questions of Morality and Philosophy with views held in the past and mix topicality with history.

At that session we looked at the influence of Mass Media on politics and 'happiness' and reflected on the killing of Osama bin Laden - was it 'justice' or 'revenge'.

Thumbnail sketches of prominent Philosophers will continue now that we have covered the Greek philosophers - Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and also Descartes. Montaigne, Hobbes, Spinoza and Locke will now follow.

Andrew Stevens will speak on Logical Positivism and Scepticism whilst our overall menu will include a follow-up on the Media, Osama bin Laden, the treatment of animals (live exports), world food prices and shortages, neurophilosophy, the necessity for lying, deception and bull, the values of capitalism and socialism, political and business ethics and surveillance/big brother and freedom for privacy.

A busy Term lies ahead.

Link http://shoalhaven.u3anet.org.au/