Pinner Philosophy Group
(Harrow, London)
Location and times of sessions
Meets weekly at 10am Wednesdays
Venue: On request to Chairman
3 terms per year: spring, summer, autumn
Approximately 50 members
Further Details
Further details can be obtained from:
The Chairman on 020 8863 8202, email: paul_skidmore@yahoo.co.uk
Term structure
Each term usually consists of one or more philosophy strands.
Recent strands have been:
Philosophy of Mind
Theory of Knowledge (epistemology)
Aesthetics
Political Philosophy
Ethics
In addition, terms often include ‘one-off’ topics occupying one or two sessions. Recent examples are:
Play reading of Copenhagen by Michael Frayn together with presentation and discussion of philosophical questions raised by the play.
Presentation and discussion of the philosophy of individual philosophers, e.g. Pythagoras, Descartes, Rousseau, Kant, Nietzsche, Rawls, Nozick.
Presentation and discussion of key philosophical positions, e.g. phenomenology and logical positivism.
Presentation and discussion of wider philosophical topics in science and mathematics, e.g. special and general relativity and Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem.
Presentation and discussion of topics in religion, e.g. the existence of the soul.
Method of Presentation
Sessions are usually presented by a member of the group with interspersed discussion or by discussion at the end of the presentation.
The presenter may already have an interest in or professional knowledge of the topic. Topics selected for presentation are often based on chapters from one or more recommended books but are often researched in more detail. Group discussion occupies about half the session time.
There is a coffee break of about 15 minutes half way through the session.
Guest Speakers
Each term features one or two talks/lectures by professional philosophers or experts in their fields. Recent talks have been on:
Continental Philosophy
The Aesthetic Theory of Kant
The Penal System
Medical Ethics
The Nature of Time
Group Visits
The Group organises visits to events of philosophical interest. Recent visits or events attended have included: a lecture by Jürgen Habermas; visit to The Enlightenment Exhibition at the British Museum; visit to a Hare Krishna temple; theatre visit to see the play Galileo by Bertold Brecht.
Details of Summer 2020 Programme
The current programme is attached. Where appropriate, links will be made to contemporary issues in art, science, sociology, politics and philosophy.
MISCELLANY with quite a bit of EXISTENTIALISM STRAND |
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Wednesday 15/4/20 |
Burke and Paine | Peter K |
Wednesday 22/4/20 |
Sociobiology |
Adrian |
Wednesday 29/4/20 |
Philosophy of Mathematics |
Graham |
Wednesday 6/5/20 |
Existentialism: origins and overview | Poonam |
Wednesday 13/5/20 |
Philosophers’ Summer Party A participative event along the lines of Philosophers’ Christmas |
All |
Wednesday 20/5/20 |
Origins – from Phenomenology to Existentialism |
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Wednesday 27/5/20 |
HALF TERM |
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| Wednesday 03/6/20 | GUEST SPEAKER: Sartre | John Holroyd |
Wednesday 10/6/20 |
Merleau-Ponty |
Linda |
| Wednesday 17/6/20 | Novels: Six volunteers discuss their favourite novels( Contact David with your proposal on: gilbertdavid488@gmail.com) |
David (Chair) |
| Wednesday 24/6/20 | Existentialism and the Arts | Laura |
| Wednesday 1/7/20 | Simone de Beauvoir |
Poonam |
| Wednesday 8/7/20 | That’s another thing I don’t understand about Existentialism An open discussion |
Geraldine (Moderator) |
Professor Timothy Chappell spoke to Pinner Philosophy Group on Wednesday, 22nd June 2011 on the subject 'Why Ethics is Hard' Download