Philosophy

Welcome to the Philosophy Page

Please note, the attendance fee is £0.50
Start time: 10.30 a.m. (please be in good time to be checked in).
Place: – Dorset Youth Association, Lubbecke Way, Dorchester DT1 1QL

Contact details for Roger Dean, Group Leader:
email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07775533652

General conditions
Please do not attend if you have not been triple jabbed, have any Covid symptoms, sniffles, flu or cold symptoms – that’s just sensible anyway.
Face masks are not compulsory in indoor spaces, BUT you are requested to wear one during registration and until seated. (don’t forget your £1-00, not in pennies please!) Feel free to continue wearing a mask while seated except when asking a question or talking in the discussion.
Hand sanitiser will be available on entry, grateful if you would use it.
The hall will be well-ventilated throughout the meeting, so please make sure you will be warm enough.
Tea, coffee, biscuits will be available at the break.
Finally, if you get Covid symptoms after the meeting, please get tested and let me know ASAP to inform all the others. Thanks for your understanding.

Our approach

It is interesting that Plato (c. 427 – 347 BCE) urged people not to get involved with philosophy until later in life, after 50. Before that they should just get on with work, family and general living, but after that it was time to stand back and reflect. So now is the perfect time to join your U3A philosophy group. All are very welcome, including those that would like to just sit and listen. All of us have little experience and no formal education in philosophy (except Colin), so it is a case of group learning and sharing of knowledge and ideas, in the spirit of the U3A.
We normally meet on the 1st.Tuesday of the month at 10.30 hrs. at the Dorset Youth Association. (See right-hand column for a location map). Currently there are spaces available for new members but please contact the Group Leader first.
The very general objective of the philosophy group is to build up our knowledge of the major philosophers in a systematic way, which will eventually enable us, together with our own thinking, to discuss issues of import to both us as individuals and to society.

So what is philosophy?
A few ideas taken from the literature are given below:

Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.
A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry
The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.
The discipline comprising logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
A system of values by which one lives.

Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.
Although the above might seem somewhat profound, its relevance to us individuals as we get older in a rapidly changing world, could not be of greater importance.
Contact us if you want to get involved with the Philosophy group. This is open to u3a members only however. If you wish to become a u3a member please see 'HOW TO' from the website main menu.
If anyone wants to access free online videos or podcasts in general philosophy, offered by Oxford University, please follow the link below.
General Philosophy with Oxford University.

Proposed programme for Philosophy group, 2023-24
The discussion sessions should work something like this:

Sit in a circle
One person to facilitate
Someone to start the discussion on a topic – up to ten minutes to describe the topic and its boundaries
Facilitator to ensure that everyone has the chance to speak, giving their ideas and reaction. But no obligation for anyone to speak
Reading material to be distributed beforehand. People are asked to prep and gather some thoughts – though that isn’t mandatory.
Suggestions to the programme are always more than welcome.

Dorset Youth Association, Lubbecke Way, Dorchester
DT1 1QL

Dorset Youth Association, Lubbecke Way, Dorchester DT1 1QL
It is just after the Ambulance HQ on Lubbecke Way. For a map, visit www.dorsetyouth.com and go to the bottom of their opening page, under “Contact us”, then “Find us”, you will find a map.
P.S. Please remember to turn mobile phones off.

Useful Websites (these will open in a new tab)
Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
History of Western Philosophy
Critical Thinking 1_ Marianne Talbot
Notes from previous sessions are available to download here:
1. Medieval philosophers
2. Concept definitions
3. Descartes

Reading list
1. The Courtier and the Heretic: Leibniz, Spinoza, and the Fate of God in the Modern World: The Secret Encounter Between Leibniz and Spinoza That Defines the Modern World by Matthew Stewart.
2. The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy by Bryan Magee.
3. Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Julia Annas.
4. Darwin for Beginners by Jonathan Miller.
5. Darwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists by Rebecca Stott.
6. Essays by Michel de Montaigne
7. 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster.
8. Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain by Antonio Damasio.

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This webpage is maintained by Kelvin Huff. Click here to email me.