Philosophy club

Philosophy club runs once a month, and Charles Cook organizes it. We spend each 30min session discussing one philosophical question in the Socratic tradition. A short text is shared in advance as light pre-reading from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. These can be a bit dry, so feel free to use alternatives - the Crash Course videos are quite good.

If you're interested in joining, ask Charles Cook to add you to the recurring event in #team-people-and-ops.

Structure

Each session is 30min:

• 5min — framing: one person summarizes the pre-read in plain language
• 10min — clarification: we define the terms in the question
• 10min — probing: share examples from real life
• 10min — synthesis: each person states if their belief has altered or not

The only rule is no observers - if you join a session, you should expect to take part.

Topics

See below for the full roadmap, with a link to each pre-read. This is a 1 year commitment if you want to do the whole thing, but each question stands alone, and you can attend as many sessions as you want!

1. What counts as knowledge?
2. Can we trust our own reasoning?
3. If behavior is shaped by causes, what does accountability mean?
4. Is success about happiness, achievement, or meaning?
5. Are habits more important than intentions?
6. Should decisions prioritize results even when methods feel wrong?
7. Is fairness equality, merit, or need?
8. When is challenging authority ethically required?
9. Is trust a rational calculation or a leap without evidence?
10. Does technology shape our behaviour or simply reflect it?
11. Should work be intrinsically meaningful or primarily instrumental?
12. Do we discover purpose, or create it through choices?