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2017-02(Feb)-14 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
MC

2017-01(Jan)-10 Tue	Cancelled for January. Resumes February.
All welcome.
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2016-12(Dec)-13 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-11(Nov)-08 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-10(Oct)-11 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-09(Sep)-13 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-08(Aug)-09 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-07(Jul)-12 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-06(Jun)-14 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-05(May)-10 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-04(Apr)-12 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2016-03(Mar)-08 Tue	Transubstantiation: When is the Emperor Truly Naked? (Joffre Balce)
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that once an ordained priest blesses the bread of the Lord's Supper, it is transformed into the actual flesh of Christ (though it retains the appearance, odour, and taste of bread); and when he blesses the wine, it is transformed into the actual blood of Christ (though it retains the appearance, odor, and taste of wine). Though ridiculed by the skeptical, this practice is evident in society -- particularly in currency. That is, how can coined metals be less valuable than paper which can be even less valuable than electronic pulses in scrip-less trading or crypto-currencies? In place of high priests, monetary authorities are placed in charge of the alleged act. The talk discusses the socio-political & economic implications.
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2016-02(Feb)-09 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-12(Dec)-08 Tue	Philorum cancelled for tonight. Resume 2016-02(Feb)-09 Tue.
All welcome.
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2015-11(Nov)-10 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-10(Oct)-13 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-09(Sep)-08 Tue	Open Forum. Philorum shifted to 2nd Tuesdays of the month, from this date forward.
All welcome.
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2015-08(Aug)-04 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-07(Jul)-07 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-06(Jun)-02 Tue	Open Forum. Philorum returned to Central.
All welcome.
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2015-06(Jun)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-04(Apr)-07 Tue	Philorum Group @ Central shifted to Philorum Group @ Redfern
... for the next two meetings.
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2015-03(Mar)-03 Tue	Philorum Cancelled for tonight.
Cancelled due to venue issues. We expect to be back next month, Tue 2015-04-07 at the same venue.
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2015-02(Feb)-03 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2015-01(Jan)-06 Tue	No meeting in January. Resume February.
All welcome.
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2014-12(Dec)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-11(Nov)-04 Tue	Financial Freedom (Joffre Balce)
All welcome.
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2014-10(Oct)-07 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-09(Sep)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-08(Aug)-05 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-07(Jul)-01 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-06(Jun)-03 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-05(May)-06 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-04(Apr)-01 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2014-03(Mar)-04 Tue	On economic secularism (Joffre Balce)
Secularism has been limited to the separation of government and the independence of legislation from the undue influence of religious dogma, institutions, leaders and dignitaries. However, the undue influence from ideological and economic institutions have had a more influential role in more recent times. Many discussions have been unfortunately, reduced to knee jerk reactions, labelling and choosing between a pass or rejection of policy rather than arriving at better solutions based on careful deliberation. Furthermore, lobbyists have become so powerful that they end up doing the research instead of the legislators and regulators as well as the drumming up of support through grants to the academe and pressures on media through revenue streams and their outright ownership. This talk aims to extend the concept of secularism to freedom from economic dogma and vested interests that -- in the same way religious dogma and vested interests were -- may be inimical to the endeavour for the best solutions, risk management measures and systems of governance.
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2014-02(Feb)-04 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-11(Nov)-05 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-10(Oct)-01 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-09(Sep)-03 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-08(Aug)-06 Tue	Mitigation of Blame And Punishment (Allan McCay)
If one accepts (as not all do) that people are at least sometimes blameworthy for what they do, then a further question arises: how blameworthy are they? Sometimes a person may draw attention to factors relating to their moral agency that they suggest makes them less blameworthy for what they did. A person may claim that they are a bit, but not very blameworthy for acting in a rude and abrupt way because they have a cold. They may suggest they are less blameworthy for their rudeness because of the cold. In a legal setting a person may argue that they are less blameworthy for a criminal act, and deserving of less punishment because they experienced difficult formative circumstances (perhaps an abusive family environment). Or they may suggest that they deserve less blame and punishment for their crime because of a mild mental illness that does not provide a complete excuse. I will consider how to evaluate claims like this. If we have decided that someone is blameworthy for a wrong how can we decide how blameworthy they are?
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2013-07(Jul)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-06(Jun)-04 Tue	Sainthood. What is it? Is it worth striving for? (Joffre Balce)
All welcome.
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2013-05(May)-07 Tue	The soul theory of self (Matthew Hammerton)
Many people endorse the soul theory of self. According to this theory you are an immaterial soul. Wherever this soul goes you go. Furthermore, the soul is where your personality, memories, and free will are located. In this talk I subject the soul theory to critical scrutiny.
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2013-04(Apr)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-03(Mar)-05 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-02(Feb)-19 Tue	WTF(*) about the university rating systems? (Joffre Balce)
If "(a) university is, perhaps, the most complex institution ever devised, since it aims to nurture the highest human faculty: the intellect" & "truth is the proper object of the intellect" (from What is a university? By Dr Akmal Hussain Published: September 30, 2012), what is the role or business of a rating system - a system of classifying according to quality or merit or amount (from worldnetweb.princeton.webwn) - in evaluating such an institution? Is it merely an opinion - which is the defence of American based financial rating organisations when confronted with their failure to provide timely signals for investors of the impending collapse of blue chip investment banks & their instruments? If so, then what is the sense of urgency behind universities to restructure themselves to obtain better scores? (* - What's the Fuss)
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2013-02(Feb)-05 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2013-01(Jan)-15 Tue	Meeting Cancelled.
Next meeting 2013-02(Feb)-05.
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2013-01(Jan)-01 Tue	Meeting Cancelled.

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2012-12(Dec)-18 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome. Postponed: "WTF about University Ratings" by Joffre Balce.
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2012-12(Dec)-04 Tue	Bishop Berkeley and the Matrix Movies. (Myles Paulsen)
Around 1710, George Berkeley propounded an idealist notion of reality, in which matter did not exist, stressing his views were commonsense. We experience a bundling of sensations which are the "things" of our world. God's creation, the laws of nature, is what makes those bundles come to us in regular and predictable ways. Today, Berkeley can be understood via the emerging field of virtual reality, a similar bundling of ideas without any matter behind it. The computer programmer is the "God", and his program is the laws of nature. The Matrix movie was the first sci-fi movie to treat the concept of a vast virtual reality, with billions of humans unaware they are in a virtual reality game which has displaced their "real" lives. I will discuss issues surrounding such worlds (including some other sci-fi films such as Thirteenth Floor and Avatar) and the nature of AI. All views welcomed.
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2012-11(Nov)-20 Tue	Rethinking selfishness. (Madeleine Maine)
I've heard it told that I'm part of the most narcissistic, self-involved, navel-gazing generations the world has ever seen. Excellent. I truly hope so, because as far as I'm concerned that means we're moving in the right direction. Through a series of harrowing personal experiences (an ended engagement, the disintegration of my faith, getting lost in a supermarket.) I have come to the conclusion that the path to eudaemonia is paved with selfish intentions. Selfishness is not the problem. In reality it's the negative perception of selfishness and our reactionary response to that negativity that's creating all the drama. We need to reassess selfishness; the way we think about, the way we talk about it and the way we do it.
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2012-11(Nov)-06 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-10(Oct)-16 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-10(Oct)-02 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-09(Sep)-18 Tue	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-09(Sep)-04 Tue	WTF about university ratings et al? (Joffre Balce)

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2012-08(Aug)-21 Tue	Art, reality and William Blake. (Myles Paulsen)
Blake lived as an artist and engraver, and poet from 1757 to 1827. Although he was largely ignored during his life, those in the 20th Century came to realise that he was a unique genius, who had enormous insights into the nature of Man's relationship to Art, and to reality itself, even though he was self-taught and poor all his life. Blake repudiated the idea (still pravalent) of the duality of human life, divided between body and soul (or mind). I will discuss how Blake saw that a "tear is an intellectual thing" and that the body is the visible part of the mind. Blake also repudiated the notion that reality exists in generality, or in the abstract. He held that for both Art and Morality, particulars are all-important. I will discuss why he said this, and how it relates to reality, including Blake's attack on deism. He attacked Newton for his "single vision" and thought that his Science turned the world into interconnecting wheels, which, like the mills of the early industrial revolution, enslaved people. His notion of Art was that a drawing could not be reduced to formulas or explained in the abstract, but must be perceived and felt. The theory of atoms turned the world into a sandstorm of lifeless particles. He fought such views as inferior to the truths engendered by Art. He was of an anarchist bent, believed in free love, and was a republican, all radical ideas which nearly had him prosecuted.
MC

2012-08(Aug)-07 Tue	Unraveling Exclusivity: New Ideals for Healthier Relationships. (Zara Choy)
We can love someone, be attracted to others, fall in love with another, and lust after quite a few people. All at once. Yet monogamy is the flavour of the day. Should it really surprise us if we seem to have a lot of trouble finding congruence in our relationship contract and our natural desires? I delve into monogamy's central issue of exclusivity, what makes monogamy attractive, explore what's so threatening when monogamists consider non-exclusive love, and propose why monogamy does not fully serve healthy flourishing individuals and relationships. Contrasting monogamous and alternative ideals, I illustrate an alternative way to relate in love, lust and friendship and propose what I think should fundamentally underscore relationships that better serve ourselves and each other.
MC

2012-07(Jul)-19 Thu	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-07(Jul)-05 Thu	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-06(Jun)-21 Thu	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-06(Jun)-07 Thu	Open Forum
All welcome.
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2012-05(May)-17 Thu	On the controversies of the origins of time and space. (Joffre Balce)

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2012-05(May)-03 Thu	The important implications of a healthy Liver and the importance of having a clean colon. (Claire Massa)
My talk is on the Liver and the Colon, but mostly on the Liver. We will be exploring what the Liver is. What a healthy one is and what an unhealthy one is. We will be looking at detoxifying your Liver. The important function of the Liver. What a person may have with an unhealthy Liver. How the Colon plays an important role for detoxification of the Liver. And what diseases can occur if your Liver is not treated. I will be looking at Donna Gates recommendations and a local Naturopath in Maroubra.
MC

2012-04(Apr)-19 Thu	Atheist Religiousity: From the evangelical to the mystical (Joffre Balce)

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2012-04(Apr)-05 Thu	Open Forum. Postponed for next time: "Atheist Religiousity: From the evangelical to the mystical" (Joffre Balce).
Participants that where looking forward to Joffre's topic could well exploit, tonight, the open forum format to have their issue or claim discussed.
MC

2012-03(Mar)-15 Thu	The benefits of following a Body Ecology Diet. (Claire Massa)
In the discussion we will be learning and exploring the different perspectives on the Body Ecology Diet. What it is. Why is it important? What conditions can it help to reverse? Why is it important for today's Philosophers to know about it and practice it. How long has it been around for? Exploring its core principles which are fundamentally the same core principles for life and its prosperity. Why this diet is successful. My experiences when meeting the author, Donna Gates. Why I pursued her diet and what I learnt from spending time with her. Please read up a little bit about the Body Ecology Diet so you can get the most out of the talk.
MC

2012-03(Mar)-01 Thu	Open Forum

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2012-02(Feb)-16 Thu	Skepticism is not a set of beliefs. (Ian Woolf)

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2012-02(Feb)-02 Thu	Open Forum

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2012-01(Jan)-19 Thu	Why Freud is wrong. (Myles Paulsen)

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2012-01(Jan)-05 Thu	(Closed)

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2011-12(Dec)-15 Thu	Open Forum.

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2011-12(Dec)-01 Thu	Open Forum.

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2011-11(Nov)-17 Thu	Open Forum. (All Welcome)

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2011-11(Nov)-03 Thu	How do we know mathematics relates to reality? (Rupert McCallum)

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2011-10(Oct)-20 Thu	Open Forum. (All Welcome)

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2011-10(Oct)-05 Wed	The distinction between science and philosophy, part 2. (Nathan Sinclair)
Speaker (10 - 20 mins)	The distinction between science and philosophy, part 2. (Nathan Sinclair)		Nathan Sinclair
	Speech
MC

2011-09(Sep)-21 Wed	The Citizen's Dividend (Joffre Balce)
There is an idea that enables all citizens to enjoy a minimum threshold of dignified economic existence that goes beyond the concept of welfare or charity. It is built on cooperative justice, a renaissance in the understanding of economic rent & a radical re-think of monetary management & fiscal policy.
MC

2011-09(Sep)-07 Wed	Open Forum. (All Welcome)

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2011-08(Aug)-17 Wed	Open Forum. (All Welcome)

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2011-08(Aug)-03 Wed	The ethics of using animals in scientific research. (Rupert McCallum)

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2011-07(Jul)-20 Wed	Words and Ideas. (David Tribe)
WORDS AND IDEAS [by David Tribe] deals with philosophical ideas and practical consequences arising from words, widely bandied about in humanist, religious and political circles as well as academia. Consideration of them produces a history of Western Philosophy, from classical materialism to postmodernism, revealed in diverse social settings. Because these settings constantly evolve, when archetypal words crop up at different times they have slightly different meanings. Though, like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, we have a natural tendency to use words subjectively, we have a social responsibility to adhere as closely as possible to accepted meanings in the hope that disagreements and conflicts can be minimized.
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2011-07(Jul)-06 Wed	Do we have reason to believe there is no God? (Rupert McCallum)

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2011-06(Jun)-15 Wed	Challenges to the Rule of Law: Whose Rule and Whose Law? (Joffre Balce)

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2011-06(Jun)-01 Wed	Mitigation of Blame and Punishment (Allan McCay)
If one accepts that some people are at least sometimes blameworthy for the wrongs they perform, there is an interesting question as to what factors should mitigate blame or, if punishment is appropriate, reduce the degree of punishment deserved. We might ask whether people are less blameworthy if they are young, old, mentally ill or stressed? Or if they were brought up in difficult formative circumstances or are impulsive. In this talk, I will consider the question how we should decide which factors are mitigating.
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2011-05(May)-18 Wed	Open Forum

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2011-05(May)-04 Wed	The ethics of objectification. (Matthew Hammerton)
To objectify a person is to treat that person as an object. Treating a person this way is often thought to be ethically problematic. But what does it mean to treat a person as an object? And is it always wrong to treat a person in this way? In this talk I attempt to answer these questions. Special attention will be given to the sexual domain where the objectification of women is thought to be especially problematic.
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2011-04(Apr)-20 Wed	[Postponed] The ethics of objectification. (Matthew Hammerton)

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2011-04(Apr)-06 Wed	Open Forum

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2011-03(Mar)-16 Wed	Open Forum. Cancelled: Philosophers and Democracy.

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2011-03(Mar)-02 Wed	Open Forum.

MC	Rupert McCallum

2011-02(Feb)-16 Wed	Evil without the Devil - A Philosophical Exorcism. (Joffre Balce)
Throughout history, evil has often been attributed to imaginary & real individuals, groups & institutions - who, after being confronted & eliminated, are simply replaced by new evils & new victims on top of some of the old. Given the failure of "demonization" -- the characterization of individuals, groups, or political bodies as evil -- to achieve the promised good, the discussion will assume a phenomenological approach in order to identify the essence of evil in the context of history and from a Taoist perspective concerned more with the process (hows) & rationale (whys) than with people (whos) or objects (whats).
MC	Andrew Donnelly

2011-02(Feb)-02 Wed	[Post-]Modernism is the synthesis of all heresies. (Andrew Donnelly)
In his Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Pope Pius X famously declared that "modernism is the synthesis of all heresies". In particular, he targeted modernist theses of relativism, agnosticism and rationalism as heretical. In this paper I suggest what Pius X would have said (or ought to have said) if he had witnessed the rise of post-modernism (both in theology and in philosophy). I outline some key post-modern theses and condemn post-modernism as a heresy (in the secular sense) and unworthy of serious philosophical attention.
MC	Rupert McCallum

2011-01(Jan)-19 Wed	'Utopia' and other misused terms. (Tom Awesome)
To believe in Utopia is insanity. I am insane. I propose what a possible utopia might look like and one potential technological innovation that may pave the way for a global harmony."
MC

2011-01(Jan)-05 Wed	Moral Obligations to Assist Others (Rupert McCallum)
In "Living High and Letting Die", Peter Unger puts forward an argumet that it is seriously wrong for people in the developed world to refrain from doing everything they can to alleviate suffering and premature death in the developing world. The argument is examined briefly and also information about charity evaluation is presented, helping to add to the factual information on the basis of which Peter Unger makes his argument. An interesting feature of Peter Unger's presentation is that he says that he can bracket the question of whether there are any objective moral truths. Peter Unger's methodology and metaethical views are examined, and the question is explored how we should assess Peter Unger's project from a "naturalistic" point of view.
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2010-12(Dec)-15 Wed	Embracing post-growth futures? (Donnie Maclurcan)
Given a growing body of evidence suggesting an inability to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation fast enough to avoid catostrophic climate change, what are the alternatives to growth? Furthermore, how might we embrace and usher in such alternatives in a world governed by overarching frameworks all too often defined by too few? Donnie Maclurcan is a Founding Member of the Growthbusters: http://growthbusters.org
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2010-12(Dec)-01 Wed	Reprogramme your life formula (Jeffrey Liu)
Everyone has a limited life time frame. No body can escape from this reality. The problem is, under the same circumstance, what makes our lives so different? Facing the same adversity, why do some people strive while some struggle, or some happy while some depressed? What is the underlying formular that leads to these different results in life? How do you recognise it and thus improve it? I will assure you that after you've come to today's Philorum, your life will be transformed in a way you can never imagine. See u there guys!
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2010-11(Nov)-17 Wed	Why human rights are bound to fail (responsbilities as well). (Joffre Balce)

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2010-11(Nov)-03 Wed	Open Forum
Bring your own topic.
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2010-10(Oct)-20 Wed	Are we morally obliged to swear (revised)? (John Bentley)
Specifically, are we morally obliged to swear in front of strangers and those who would rather we didn't? The eight main arguments purporting to show that swearing is not morally permissible don't work. A ninth argument, let's call it "offensivism", doesn't work. Offensivism is: That you ought not be free to speak if you will, or might, offend. Far from being an exception to free speech, the freedom to offend is essential to it. Preserving freedom of speech for those around us is a moral obligation. Swearing preserves the freedom to offend, that which is essential to freedom of speech. Therefore swearing is a moral cunting obligation.
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2010-10(Oct)-06 Wed	The Need For Speed: A Call For Progressive Reform in Social Attitudes, Industry and Institutional Practice With Drugs (Kate Star)
Are our current laws reflective of present times? In a society that's moving at a rapid pace, with accelerated learning, increased produtivity and greater access to information, do we need to reassess and establish new ways of thinking on lifestyle practices that often are stereotyped, taboo and mirepresentated through media hype. In this lies that which both glorifies and alienates what is seldom openly discussed in the forming of perceived views and adopted attitudes of social conditioning. The question lies in whether it portrays an honest and realistic account of accurate representation. Thinking outside the square as we explore and expose what lies hidden, I will provide a window into a world rarely talked about that gives insight into ethical and moral issues with introspective and educative elements to heighten your awareness.
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2010-09(Sep)-15 Wed	Copyright, Derivative Culture, and Free content (Luke Overdevest)
In the last decade Derivative culture and Piracy has exploded outwards with the advent of the Internet, and copyright law is only just beginning to catch up. I would like to provoke discussion on the moral viewpoints of a variety of groups from extremes to moderate. To this end I will: Define where trademarks, patents, but mainly copyright law is right now in Australia, and by extension what is piracy; Discuss about derivative culture, including remix culture and fan works. eg. Mona Lisa with a Mustache; Also the policies of fair use of copyrighted material; Define Free Material, Copyleft, Open source and other such cultures, which are exploding outwards. eg. Wikipedia; Summarize the good and bad of these cultures and some potential ideas of how we could move forward.
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2010-09(Sep)-01 Wed	The Making of the First Global People - An Entity. (Greg)
What truth. Many tell us our world is in great jeopardy? If the First Global People can unite to fix global resource replenishment problems then all people on the planet might hope to live civilized lives. Ask, please, is humanity throwing itself into development and analysis of possible future courses of action to fix diminishing resource environment problems? What other global plans do you know of that might have a chance at uniting global people? Mine is called Pan (this is just a name for 'encompassing' global people in pursuit of a simple global level aim, for a specified period.) I spoke in June on Pan's '2 Baskets Idea'. This is to begin to help to reduce the myriad and diversity of heartfelt beliefs. After September I will ask to speak on 'Purchasing the Transition from Global Economic Rationalism to Global Economic Altruism'.
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2010-08(Aug)-18 Wed	The truth about human's discovery of the truth (Jeffrey Liu)
An attempt to unveil the mystery of the infinity and finity within a human being through a couple of models and reveal the fundamental purpose of philosophy, science and religion.
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2010-08(Aug)-04 Wed	The distinction between science and philosophy. (Nathan Sinclair)
Philosophy is currently undergoing a crisis of confidence. This has led some philosophers to claim that their work cannot be sharply distinguished from science (and thus deserves the same respect as scientific work), while others have sought to maintain that philosophy is a specially different realm of enquiry which uncovers truths that are above scientific investigation. In this talk shall present a (very brief and partial) historical outline of various conceptions of philosophy and necessity since the ancient Greeks and the reasons why each overthrew its predecessor. In the end I hope to show why the analytic philosophers conception of philosophy was found wanting and to explain and defend a new and perfectly naturalistic account of the distinction between science and philosophy which does not require the existence of any special non-scientific realm of enquiry.
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2010-07(Jul)-21 Wed	C A Campbell's view of free will (Allan McCay)
C A Campbell thought that humans are free and morally responsible for what they do. In his view, determinism is false and human's make undetermined choices which they control and are responsible for. I will briefly outline his view and raise some issues for discussion.
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2010-07(Jul)-07 Wed	Why I am me, not you - Indians and we. (Ran Kim)
In South Korea, the society I grew up in, you can be frequently stereotyped on the basis of the university you graduate from, for example when going for a job. This seems unfair to those people who have graduated from a universtity with a poor reputation. However, I will show that fairness cannot be determined objectively. Fairness is subjective.
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2010-06(Jun)-16 Wed	One World (Ariya Kiratikanon)
After WW 2, the world is developed and changing super fast. The force behind the change is innovation of scientific, artistic, technology and human relation advancement. All along, it has driven by first, world scale industrial revolution and second, globalization. Today, over 30 "emerging economy" pre-industrialization nations are marching toward to become "developed" industrialized status and many could only take 20-40 years time to succeed. Such gigantic world change has much effected the world systems such as, the information and transport sections are already world scale networks, in order to eliminated crises and conflict and resettle world new financial order; G7 has given way to G20, the developed nations are in saturated growth era where mostly have fragile economic and with limited room to growth, the most ideal investment and innovation arena is inversed toward pre industrial nations, the gap between the developed and pre industrial nations are constant narrowing, environment protection, population fast increase, food and natural resource, stop and control pandemic diseases, security (world war, international terrorism threat).The above issues are all fast become global issues. Therefore, world is rapid transforming and will become One World at last. Indeed, One World is inevitable, can not stop and the only option for human survival and is coming. And how?
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2010-06(Jun)-02 Wed	The Two Baskets Concept in the First Phase of Pan. (Greg)
In the first of two baskets, let me put all the world's people who know in the core of their being, that they DO know, exactly, why they are alive. And, then in the other basket, let me put all the world's people who know, in the core of their being, that they DON'T know, in truth why they are alive (and possibly, for many, only admitting this in the privacy of their own thoughts). Supporting the meta-physical might be the idea of the 'ghost'. The Holy Ghost in the Christian Trinity. Angels (messengers) that sought out Mohammed. The Atman for the Hindu and the Chi for the religious ideas that saw the Dao-de as (interestingly) much the same thing as Brahman? Or was it the other way round? Supporting the physical and exclusion of the meta-physical might be a lot more faith these days in scientific process, and discovery, and knowledge, now well exceeding the boundaries of our senses. Nevertheless, Pan is a simple Course of Action towards unification of people from all our global cultures (and, it follows, from both these two baskets) with a view to making right, once again, our global relationship to the global environment. Pan has four simple phases. But, this speech is about the first phase of Pan which is the Two Baskets Concept. You might not fit in with either, and surely there must be more choices? There is always more choices...
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2010-05(May)-19 Wed	Open Forum
Radical Honesty (Garry K) postponed.
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2010-05(May)-05 Wed	Ethical experts, fact or fiction? (Barry Rafe)
What is the contribution of the moral authority and the exemplar human to the moral character of a society? I will argue that there are no ethical experts and that the concept of moral or ethical expertise is deeply flawed since there is no idea that anyone can speak as for us in a situation of a subjective moral dilemma. Whilst I argue that there are no ethical experts I explain that there is an important role for moral authorities and exemplar human beings in setting the moral character of the society. Whilst our society requires that people will take responsibility for their actions people often look to a moral authority to guide them in making difficult moral decisions. In a liberal society with different and competing moral conventions, new conventions amongst one group will test the conventions of another group leading to constant tension and evolution of moral values.
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2010-04(Apr)-21 Wed	I feel, Therefore I Am - The Secrets of Emotional Neuroscience (Ray Lewis)
We all have three brains, an instinctive brain, and emotional brain and a rational brain, getting them to work in balance is no longer a science fiction dream. Discover the missing piece of the puzzle that's had the psych world running around in circles since Descartes' infamous statement 'I think, Therefore I Am'. The earliest foundation of a human being is a feeling foundation, not one of thought. Find out about your inner ability to change negative feeling beliefs.
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2010-04(Apr)-07 Wed	Why Chicks Don't Dig Philorum, Dudes! (Joffre Balce)
Before anything, credit for the topics goes to Garry K, who is the original proponent, and Edward Neylan, who suggested adding some balance. The topic might sound offensive, especially to those who consider themselves "chicks" or "dudes", but is nevertheless open to such and makes no apologies to said parties. Given strict time limits, it will be a best efforts philosophical attempt to determine (1) if chicks and dudes do exist as well as the act of "digging" something and (2) if the statement is indeed offensive as well as relevant and material.
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2010-03(Mar)-17 Wed	Cancelled due to St Patrick's day.

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2010-03(Mar)-03 Wed	Happiness (Mark Avery)
"Happiness is a butterfly. Chase it and it eludes you. Sit down quietly and it alights upon your shoulder." Wrong. We can become happier, but not by employing positive thinking, developing patience, being kind, quelling anger, having low expectations . . . Those methods are not only simplistic, they're downright wrong. We are told to love ourselves, find within us our own special gift, reach our potential, and to see problems as challenges. That's not the way. Rather, we need to reduce our fears and gain an inner authority. That comes from getting to know ourselves, and by taking full responsibility for the way our life unfolds. (Mark Avery: Currently writing a book: "Paradox and his umpteen keys to happiness.")
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2010-02(Feb)-17 Wed	Open forum.

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2010-02(Feb)-03 Wed	Are we morally obese? (Ansgar Fehnker)
We are living in a time of great prosperity, with widespread material wealth and personal well-being and health. Hardships that were common just a few generations ago, and which are still common in other societies, are increasingly rare in ours. Our houses are slightly too large, our tan somewhat too dark, our cars too fast, and our waist line to wide. However, does this prosperity also make allow us the luxury of being too moral? Or is this "being too moral" simply impossible? What does it it mean to overindulge on morality? And what harm would be done if you would?
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2010-01(Jan)-20 Wed	Do holes exist? (Matthew Hammerton)
This talk will introduce the subject of ontology. The centrepiece of the talk will be a performance of David and Stephanie Lewis's charming dialogue "Holes" in which two interlocutors discuss what would be required for holes to exist. This dialogue provides an excellent illustration of two rival philosophical approaches to ontological questions.
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2010-01(Jan)-06 Wed	Cancelled for tonight.

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2009-12(Dec)-16 Wed	Is Philosophy a martial art? (Joffre Balce)
Much has been wirtten about the philosophies of the martial arts. This discussion is an attempt to turn the tables and explore philosophy as a martial art in itself. Open to all practitioners -- from beginners to masters -- and non-practitioners alike. No safety equipment required.
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2009-12(Dec)-02 Wed	Festival of offensive or hurtful ideas.
Come along to Philorum to air your offensive or hurtful ideas. Non offensive and non hurtful ideas are also welcome. As usual everyone is guaranteed 2 - 3 minutes to speak.
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2009-11(Nov)-18 Wed	Euthanasia, Suicide and Immortality: the Live-ers and the Die-ers (Ian Woolf)
"I've read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if he had to live on some high rock, on such a narrow ledge that he'd only room to stand, and the ocean, everlasting darkness, everlasting solitude, everlasting tempest around him, if he had to remain standing on a square yard of space all his life, a thousand years, eternity, it were better to live so than to die at once! Only to live, to live and live! Life, whatever it may be!" - from Part II Chapter VI Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Most people expect that since religion-followers are against suicide and euthanasia, that non-believers would all be against them also. I argue that humans appear divided between those who agree with Dostoevsky, and those who disagree, regardless of disbelief in religion; and that there is a rational and compassionate argument against euthanasia and suicide.
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2009-11(Nov)-04 Wed	Pan (Greg)

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2009-10(Oct)-21 Wed	The Essential Confucius - is this philosophy relevant today? (Ric Vatner)
Mao Zedong initiated the Cultural Revolution to exorcise Confucianism from Chinese Society and his texts have been read by more people than the bible but is Confucian Philosophy relevant today?
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2009-10(Oct)-07 Wed	Open Forum
An open forum.
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2009-09(Sep)-16 Wed	Philosophy should always start from evidence. (Ian Bryce)

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2009-09(Sep)-02 Wed	The Way to Happiness - L. Ron Hubbard.
Speaker (10 - 20 mins)	The Way to Happiness - L. Ron Hubbard.		(John August)
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2009-08(Aug)-19 Wed	(Garry Richards)

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2009-08(Aug)-05 Wed	Four areas of confusion in ethics (Matthew Hammerton)
In this talk I will consider four popular ideas about ethics and diagnose each idea as based on a philosophical confusion. The first idea I discuss is the debate between moral absolutism and moral particularism. I argue that, contrary to what most people think, there is not a coherent distinction between absolute and particular moral judgments that can underlie such a debate. The second idea I discuss is the is-ought thesis: you can't derive an "ought" from an "is". I argue that while this thesis is true (with one minor modification), it is trivial and has no bearing on the question of whether morals have a naturalistic grounding. The third idea I discuss is the naturalistic fallacy. I argue first, that most people misunderstand what the naturalistic fallacy is and second, that given a correct understanding of this supposed fallacy we discover neither a fallacy nor a plausible objection against moral naturalism. The final idea I discuss is moral relativism. I suggest that the standard arguments given for moral relativism are straightforwardly flawed. This doesn't mean that moral relativism is false (as there may be sophisticated arguments for moral relativism that avoid the flaws in the standard arguments), but it does show that many people are unjustified in accepting moral relativism.
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2009-07(Jul)-15 Wed	Open Forum

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2009-07(Jul)-01 Wed	Without Telos, we'd be better off - Exercises in Causality. (Ansgar Fehnker)
It is a human trait to look at human behavior or events that affect us, and try to understand the causes. We intuitively understand what it means when we say that one event is the cause of another event. Still, there are various theories trying to explain how to know whether something is a proper cause. And yet other theories that explain what it actually means to be a proper cause. Yet, when applied to human behavior, these notions often feel inappropriate and reductionist. Intuitively, we strongly prefer to think in term of the Telos, the goal towards which behavior is aimed. We find it virtually impossible to not invoke the Telos, when we are asked to explain our own behavior. While it would further our understanding if we wouldn't.
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2009-06(Jun)-17 Wed	Is Zen the cure for Philosophy? (Chris Sanderson)

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2009-06(Jun)-03 Wed	Perspectives on Rape from the Social Sciences and Evolutionary Psychology (John August)
Evolutionary Psychology (EP) considers many areas - most controversially, rape - which it considers to be an adaptation. This perspective is at odds with that of the Social Sciences, which emphasises culture, social structures, learning, power and violence. In fact, EP does incorporate some of these elements, but posits them as influential rather than crucial, and has a somewhat different emphasis. Another important difference is how different types of "sexual attraction" are defined and differentiated in the two viewpoints. This talk will survey both viewpoints. It is not intended to devalue the tragedy of rape in our society. Rather, the hope is that we can learn something in making the attempt to examining an emotive and controversial issue objectively.
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2009-05(May)-20 Wed	Don Quixote V Don Juan (Joffre Balce)

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2009-05(May)-06 Wed	Introduction to Transhumanism (Ian Woolf)
Transhumanism regards involuntary aspects of the human condition, such as disability, suffering, disease, aging, drudgery and death as unnecessary and undesirable. Transhumanists support the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities, not just to bring the disabled up to average, but to bring anyone above average. This introduction will give an overview of the major themes, the history and politics.
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2009-04(Apr)-15 Wed	Aesthetics (Natasha Allen)

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2009-04(Apr)-01 Wed	Philosophische Untersuchungen into Water (David Allen)
Philosophy is about examining the fundamental building blocks that are essential to human existence. Water is essential to human existence. Ergo ... It is possible that modern thinkers such as Wittengestein, building on earlier geniuses, may shed some light on this intriguing phenomenon and on the direction in which philosophy is going.
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2009-03(Mar)-18 Wed	Biases (Garry K)

MC	Edward Neylan

2009-03(Mar)-04 Wed	The Restraint Project (James Franklin)
Restraint (temperance, self-control) is a virtue not much heard of since the Sixties, when autonomy and self-indulgence became the dominant ideals. But coping with economic depressions and temptations to addictions needs basic skills in looking after oneself, i.e. temperance. James Franklin will give a brief account of the 'Restraint Project', http://www.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/restraintproj.html
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2009-02(Feb)-18 Wed	Taboo topics in Philosophy (Ian Bryce)
This talk will introduce some subjects which have long been avoided by philosophers, or are now "politically incorrect". These include racial differences, religious indoctrination, limiting population, directed evolution, and whether philosophy should encompass evidence.
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2009-02(Feb)-04 Wed	Philorum suspended for this evening. Instead, You may like to see Peter Singer.
http://www.gleebooks.com.au/default.asp?p=events/events4.htm#Peter_Singer
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2009-01(Jan)-21 Wed	The Semantics of Gay Marriage. (Matthew Hammerton)
In this talk I will take some ideas that have emerged in philosophy of language in the last 40 years and apply them to the issue of gay marriage. My concern will not be the social/moral/political debate about whether gay marriage should be legalised, but rather the semantic question regarding what the term 'marriage' means. This question about the meaning of 'marriage' has become relevant to the gay marriage debate because some people have argued that it is a semantic fact that marriage must be heterosexual. In other words, it is part of the meaning of the term 'marriage' that only people of opposite sexes can be married, just as it is part of the meaning of the term 'bachelor' that only males can be bachelors. Let's call this semantic thesis about 'marriage' the 'heterosexual marriage thesis' (HMT). Advocates of HMT claim that even if it is right to allow homosexual couples to enter civil unions with the same rights and entitlements as heterosexual couples, it would be a misuse of language, a conceptual confusion, to call such unions 'marriages'. In order to assess the truth of HMT, I will first discuss some theories about concepts and meaning that seem to me quite plausible. Following this, I will argue that if we accept the theories I have discussed then it is probably the case that HMT is false.
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2009-01(Jan)-07 Wed	2008/2009 Israel/Gaza conflict (Introduction by John Bentley)
Breathing (Roden Peter Woodhams) was cancelled at the last moment. Instead there was a group discussion on the 2008/2009 Israel - Gaza conflict, introduced by John Bentley.
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2008-12(Dec)-17 Wed	The proposed Australian internet clean feed is immoral (John Bentley)
It is lamentable that the first line of defence to the proposed Internet clean feed has come from computer technicians (as technicians). The proposal is not limited to blocking child pornography but all illegal content. Even if the proposed internet clean feed worked, completely and only blocking illegal content, and not effecting speed, it would be immoral (that which ought not be done, for the general benefit). Sometimes speech should be, and is, justly limited. However, there are many expressions that are presently illegal which constitute an unjust limit to free speech. It ought not be illegal to: make historical claims contrary to evidence (eg holocaust denial); to vilify persons on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexuality or other group characteristics; to express or promote hate; to depict sexual violence; to make false moral claims which the majority disagree with (eg advocate sexual violence); to advocate suicide, to advocate terrorism, or to express that which is offensive. Furthermore, any content that an adult should be free to access should be free for a child to access. It ought be illegal for a parent to limit a child's access to content. All of us, adult or child, should have access to content that may harm or disturb us.
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2008-12(Dec)-03 Wed	The way of the sensualist: Don Juan's Defence (with angels) (Chris Sanderson)
A serious look at pleasure, lust, greed and self-indulgence.
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2008-11(Nov)-19 Wed	Can Philosophy save the market? (Joffre Balce)
Many call economics "the dismal science". Rather than just relying on the current science to get out of the vicious cycles of poverty, booms & busts, let's try thinking out of the box with philosophy first questioning the parameters of the box & drawing alternative paradigms of economic development.
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2008-11(Nov)-05 Wed	The religious right. Who are the fundamentalists? (Graham Hoskin)
I will be dealing with Protestant fundamentalism, but there are some similarities with other forms of fundamentalism - Islamic etc. I will outline 6 yardsticks which help to define fundamentalism - i.e. yardsticks which separate Protestant fundamentalism from conservative Protestantism, and help to explain the type of fundamentalism which is dominant in American Protestantism, and is portrayed in the Andrew Denton film, "God on My Side". My thesis is that a hundred years ago, Protestantism in America took a definite turn to the right - i.e. to the right of historic Reformation theology derived from Luther and Calvin and the Great Reformers, and from the historic church fathers like Augustine. It is a mistake to focus on conservative Protestantism or Catholicism, because I am talking about a clear shift to the right; not to adherence to conservative positions on a range of issues. As I will argue there are very big differences between conservatives and fundamentalists, and even on an issue like abortion where they are theoretically on the same side there are very significant differences. Conservatives and fundamentalists are both opposed to liberalism in religion, but it should not be forgotten that there are also very big differences between conservative Protestants (eg Sydney Anglicans) and fundamentalists, eg The American Religious Right.
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2008-10(Oct)-15 Wed	Kierkegaard on Aesthetic Loving (Skye Nettleton)
While aesthetic loving relationships are intoxicating and extraordinarily interesting, Kierkegaard says that they are also fleeting, immature, lack real commitment and are doomed to end in despair when confronted with the existential abyss. To overcome this inevitable despair, Kierkegaard recommends a leap of faith to love thy neighbour. This presentation will outline Kierkegaard's doctrine of love and explore some of the following questions: Is a leap of faith "bad faith"? Do aesthetic loving relationships necessarily reflect immaturity? And is loving aesthetically an authentic leap out of the existential abyss?
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2008-10(Oct)-01 Wed	The Stories of My Life (Ansgar Fehnker)
I do not come to the position of presenter at Philorum from a lifetime of privilege. I know what it is like to be very short of money. I know what it is like to live in rented flats. Therefore, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to talk about the stories that make up our life, the stories that are at the basis for our identity. Stories that we tell to others, but also the stories that we tell to ourselves. The stories that are a reflection of our identity, or maybe even, as some say, its core. How important is for us it that these stories are coherent? How important is a proper story line? Does it matter if the stories changes over time, or if it does not quite match up with reality? Are we the owner of these stories, and if we are, do we have the right to rewrite the story as we like?
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2008-09(Sep)-17 Wed	Evolution, ethics, and evolutionary pyschology (John August)

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2008-09(Sep)-03 Wed	Teaching kids about evolution (Kathryn Pryor)
Jurgen Lawrenz is missing in action. His "Art and the object mentality" is therefore cancelled. Aya Ryn writes: I will be sharing my experiences of teaching kids about evolution. We will talk about several cute little illustrative examples of evolution that I have discussed with kids. Then I will share some adorable ideas about evolution that my students have come up with. I welcome you to share any natural selection examples that you think would be good to share with kids.
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2008-08(Aug)-20 Wed	A dialogue on scepticism. (Matthew Hammerton)
Roughly, philosophical scepticism is the view that knowledge is unattainable. This talk will consist of a dialogue where two fictional characters discuss scepticism.
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2008-08(Aug)-06 Wed	Open Forum

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2008-07(Jul)-16 Wed	The theory and practice of the Inquisition and the Crusades. (Joffre Balce)
This is a study on two epochs: the Crusades & the Inquisition. The discussion endeavours to understand them in their respective context. From the perspective of philosophy, it will seek to draw lessons of their importance, relevance & impact on human history & society. The talk is open to all people of religion, ideology, inclination in or even the absence of a belief system & endeavours to make no discrimination for or against any individual, institution or culture.
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2008-07(Jul)-02 Wed	Raoul Vanigen V The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.(Edward Neylan)

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2008-06(Jun)-18 Wed	Open Forum

MC	John Bentley

2008-06(Jun)-04 Wed	Reflections on the Bill Henson controversy (Adrian Tan)
Note: images of naked children may be displayed.
MC	John Bentley

2008-05(May)-21 Wed	Value judgements and mental illness. (Tim)

MC	Aya Ryn

2008-05(May)-07 Wed	It happens without effort, it happens without restraint. (Kathryn Pryor)
... Once upon a time, my brother used to dump his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. A simple fix to this problem was to place the dirty clothes basket in the way of the floor so that instead of landing on the floor, his dirty clothes land straight in the dirty clothes basket. ... Once upon a time there was grass and weeds growing between the cracks in the path in an old lady's back yard. Every week she wasted time weeding these plants until she had a bright idea. Instead of continuing to weed the cracks to get rid of plants, she planted some parsley seeds in the cracks to take the place of the grass and weeds! Obviously cracks in pavements are a good environment for plants to grow, otherwise the weeds wouldn't grow there - it's warm (because the pavers heat up in the sun), the rain runs off the pavers into the cracks giving the plants in the cracks plenty of moisture. Needless to say, parsley thrived in the cracks and the old lady was able to pick it to use in her meals. Whatsmore, she didn't have to waste any more time weeding the path. This philorum talk is about exploiting existing habits and trends in both people and the environment to create systems that work, are efficient and survive. Another appropriate title may be "The evolution of effective systems".
MC	Daniel Coorey

2008-04(Apr)-16 Wed	The Sands of Gallipoli: Secular Religion in Australia. (Peter Farleigh)
What counts as a religion? Consider certain practices or attitudes - like nationalism and the fanatical following of sport. Though 'secular' can they be regarded in any way as 'religious' activities? With the decline of traditional forms of religion do other things take their place? In other words, is the religious attitude a basic human attribute? Over the last 10 years at least (let's call it the Howard decade) we have seen the Gallipoli legend steadily gain in prominence and stature with pilgrimages to Turkey as almost a rite of passage. What are we to make of this and what will it become in the future? And what about a highly secular endeavour -- science -- is it sometimes promoted and practiced with the same fanatical attitudes as that of the religious fundamentalist?
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2008-04(Apr)-02 Wed	Why you should always kill the kid. (Alex)

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2008-03(Mar)-19 Wed	Why I'm right and you're wrong. (Daniel Coorey)

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2008-03(Mar)-05 Wed	The Manipulated Man, Ester Vilar and Love. (Ansgar Fehnker)
Ester Vilar wrote at the height of the second feminist wave in 1971 "The Manilputated Man", a book on the gender relations that takes the uncommon view that it is not the men who oppress the women, but the women who exploit the men. The cover explains: "The Manipulated Man is modern man, grinding away in a lucrative job, so that as a person he is not more exciting than a robot. His intelligence has been numbed down into believing that his sole function is to provide for his parasites, one wife and one or more infants."
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2008-02(Feb)-20 Wed	Why letting go of emotion and attachment is the first principle in reason. (Alex)

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2008-02(Feb)-06 Wed	Leibniz's metaphysics is right after all. (Jurgen Lawrenz)
The philosophy of Leibniz is often considered to be the archetype of all stuffy metaphysical doctrines, out of touch with real life and an attempt to portray the world as a panpsychism. By the same token, his science is still well-appreciated. But how can the two be separated when they spring from the same mind? Strange to relate, several prominent physicists of our time found his metaphysics extremely relevant to fundamental issues of their own researches - and discovered in his metaphysical papers propositions of such startling originality and novelty that (as one of them wrote) 'Leibniz's conception of the universe appears to come closer to its true reality than any other known account.' In this presentation I will highlight some aspects of the Monadology which bear on these issues and are apt to close the gap between metaphysics and 'reality'.
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2008-01(Jan)-16 Wed	Kabril Gibran's book, "The Prophet". (Prudence Allan)
A special guest will recite some of the poetry within the book.
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2008-01(Jan)-02 Wed	Is the Golden Rule Really Auriferous? (Matthew Hammerton)
The Golden Rule tells us that we ought to treat others as we would want others to treat us. It is perhaps the most widely accepted moral principle in the world. Versions of the Golden Rule can be found in most of the world's major religious creeds and it has also been popular with non-religious groups such as secular humanists. But what exactly does the Golden Rule prescribe? If one were to live by the Golden Rule what sort of morality would they be committing themselves to? In this talk I will attempt to answer these questions and in doing so, I will proffer that the Golden Rule is a fool's gold - something that promises much on first appearances, buts fails to deliver following a close inspection.
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2007-12(Dec)-19 Wed	For one night only a Philorum super christmas extravaganza (Edward Neylan)
For the last Philorum of the year, we will be having, for "One Night Only" a Super Philorum Xmas (or Festivus) extravaganza. Edward Neylan will not just be presenting on one topic, but up to 20 different topics, reviewing many of the talks that have been given this year at Philorum. So if you have missed out on one, a few, or even all talks so far this year, don't despair, you can catch up this wednesday with the Philorum Super Xmas Extravaganza year in review !
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2007-12(Dec)-05 Wed	Egoism and Altruism (Ben Felden)
There exists two distinct models for how one should concern life; both of which have their advocates. A concern for others through a compassionate, altruistic life is described by many as virtuous. At the same time a concern for oneself through a selfish, egoistic life is described by many others as virtuous. This issue is explored from three angles; 1. psychological/mathematical, 2. personal/philosophical, and 3. social/political. A resolution is proposed drawing reference to reciprocal altruism, enlightened self interest, and secular buddhism.
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2007-11(Nov)-21 Wed	Every now and Zen (Joffre Balce)

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2007-11(Nov)-07 Wed	Why you should vote invalid this election. (John Bentley)
Simon Longstaff has argued that "A valid vote is, in my opinion, the most fundamental expression of popular sovereignty." (The ethics of informal voting, September 2007, http://www.ethics.org.au/about-ethics/ethics-centre-articles/ethics-subjects/politics/article-0490.html). He qualifies this with "there may be at least one situation when an informal vote could be preferable. In circumstances where the field of candidates is, in your opinion, uniformly feeble, then anything other than an informal [invalid] vote may be misleading." This circumstance applies this election. No party stands for: An increase of Australia's Foreign Aid to 1% of Gross National Product to stop death from poverty; Democratising the United Nations and giving it a military force more powerful than the United States; An Economic System that aims at increased material power for each, and not growth in total production and consumption; Global Population Shrink; Full Unemployment http://www.philorum.org/speech/20051207JohnBentley.html; The right for every sane individual to harm themselves, and to get social assistance (whether free market or universal health care) to harm themselves; http://www.geocities.com/russellian_society/onliberty.pdf The right to fuck in public http://www.philorum.org/speech/20060301JohnBentleyPublicFucking.html. There are more. Come to philorum and discuss, raise, and rail against policies that are important to you.
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2007-10(Oct)-17 Wed	The Nature of Philosophical Analysis (Ellen Watson)
What are we doing when we do philosophy? What are philosophers doing when they discuss terms that are also used in everyday language, like "knowledge", "reason", "truth", or "consciousness"? Should philosophers even be allowed to talk about these terms? Do philosophers have anything interesting to say to speakers of everyday language, or do the terms just become jargon? I will look at a variety of answers to these questions from philosophers such as Socrates, G.E. Moore, Wittgenstein, and Quine.
Quick Issues	Edward Neylan: Should you be allowed to advocate rape at Philorum?
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2007-10(Oct)-03 Wed	Property Rights (John August)

MC	Ellen Watson

2007-09(Sep)-19 Wed	Nietzsche and Love (Skye Nettleton)
Nietzsche recommended that when a man goes to a woman, he should take a whip. Is it for the man to beat the woman with or vice versa? Is the whip for punishment or pleasure? One can only speculate as to whether Nietzsche was into S&M, and what his philosophy of power could mean for romantic love relationships.
MC	John Bentley

2007-09(Sep)-05 Wed	Anti Theism (Ian Woolf)
Whether Gods exist or not is merely an empirical question to be answered by science. Atheism is the trivial case. Assuming empiricial proof, if we are responsible for our own actions, then why should the existence of Gods effect our moral decisions in any way? Is it in our self-interest to form adult relationships of unequal power? If They force us to behave immorally, should we not rebel against Them? Anti-Theism proposes that if the Gods exist, it is wrong to abide Them
MC	Ellen Watson

2007-08(Aug)-15 Wed	Phenomenology of Love in the Kama Sutra (Joffre Balce)

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2007-08(Aug)-01 Wed	Why didn't you free David Hicks? Collective guilt and individual responsibility. (Ansgar Fehnker)

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2007-07(Jul)-18 Wed	Unexplicated Russell (Prem)

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2007-07(Jul)-04 Wed	Error Theory in Metaethics. (Matthew Hammerton)

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2007-06(Jun)-20 Wed	What are Values? (John Bacon)

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2007-06(Jun)-06 Wed	The Serpent in the Mediterranean Paradise of Clarity: Russell and Whitehead on relations. (Peter Farleigh)
In a memoir published in the 1950s, Bertrand Russell wrote about his life almost half a century before. It is a wonderful and simply written piece packed with a host of interesting ideas, some of which I will outline for our discussion. Among them: the nature of relations, internal and external; the difference between mechanism and organism, between pluralism and monism; and some interesting aspects in the nature of perception. I will also show how his development of logical atomism in some ways contributed to the philosophical foundations of computation and information theory. Tackling these issues represented a pivotal change in Russell's thinking and consequently contributed to the birth of modern analytical philosophy. But, we should ask; has it been the paradise of clear thinking he had hoped?
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2007-05(May)-16 Wed	"Consciousness Explained" Explained (Ellen Watson)
Fundamental to the Western philosophical tradition is the idea that we have direct, undoubtable knowledge of our own internal mental states. In fact some treat this knowledge as the foundation for all other knowledge of ourselves and the world. However, recently a number of philosophers have been moved by a scientific understanding of the human brain to doubt this philosophical axiom, and some have gone so far as to deny that consciousness even exists. How could someone be moved to make this claim? In my presentation I will present the basic arguments that lead to a denial of consciousness, and the removal of the primacy of experience as a foundation for knowledge. I'll focus mainly on Daniel Dennett's book "Consciousness Explained" and Paul Churchland's book "Matter and Consciousness".
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2007-05(May)-02 Wed	Moral Intuitions (Adrian Tan)

Quick Issues	Adrian Tan
MC	Edward Neylan

2007-04(Apr)-18 Wed	Anti Theism (Open Forum)
Whether Gods exist or not is merely an empirical question to be answered by science. Atheism is the trivial case. Assuming empiricial proof, if we are responsible for our own actions, then why should the existence of Gods effect our moral decisions in any way? Is it in our self-interest to form adult relationships of unequal power? If They force us to behave immorally, should we not rebel against Them? Anti-Theism proposes that if the Gods exist, it is wrong to abide Them.
MC	Edward Neylan

2007-04(Apr)-04 Wed	Are we morally obliged to fuck'n swear? (John Bentley)
Specifically, are we morally obliged to swear when speaking to strangers or to those who would rather we did not? Using the flagship swear word "cunt" we'll go through the arguments usually given to show that swearing, in these situations, is not morally permissible. They don't work and therefore the moral orthodoxy that swearing, in these situations, is not morally permissible, is false. A separate but related moral orthodoxy is what could be called "offencivism": that we ought to be free to speak so long as we do not offend another. There exists a moral obligation to defend an adequate freedom for speech by overturning offencivism. Swearing, for the time being, is required for this and is therefore a moral fuck'n obligation.
MC	Thea Kremser

2007-03(Mar)-21 Wed	Tantra : Dissolving the Masks - Finding the Heart (Garry K)
In the process of socialization that we undergo to become part of a given society we disown parts of ourselves that society or family find unacceptable in an effort to fit in - during this subtle process and over time various psychological defences begin to operate habitually and act to separate ourselves from our true nature - Tantra is a very powerful set of techniques for dissolving these defences and honouring that true nature.
Quick Issues
MC	John Bentley

2007-03(Mar)-07 Wed	Buddhism and Science (Ben Felden)
Open to all. Philorum welcomes those with The Sydney Humanism Meetup Group. http://humanism.meetup.com/165/calendar/5514552/?a=mu_qvmrbdl6e1 Are Buddhism and Science conflicting or complementary enterprises? This talk covers a range of topics including; the views of famous mathematicians and scientists on Buddhism; the evidence for the maharishi effect, sub-atomic 'kalapas', and re-incarnation; the latest in mindfulness-based meditation, positive psychology, buddhist psychology, and the 'Shamatha Project'. Finally an 'overlapping magisteria' model is presented to understand how Buddhism and Science should co-exist.
MC	Skye Nettleton

2007-02(Feb)-28 Wed	Philorum Annex At the Fair Trade Coffe Company: Consciousness (John August)
An Ad hoc meeting, extra to the usual 1st and 3rd Wed meetings. Where: 33 Glebe Point Road, Glebe 2037. http://www.fairtradecoffeecompany.com.au/. Map: http://www.palms.org.au/fairtradecoffeecompany/images/map1.jpg Cost: Free (Patronise the cafe). When: Speech 19:00 - 22:00 (End time dependent on how busy the cafe is). For those that wish, Dinner in the cafe at 18:00 ish. David Chalmers first defined the "easy problem" as the search for the neural correlates of consciousness. I plan to review some of the insights which are mostly derived from empirical research, including how our consciousness (or whatever we might label as "goes on") is in fact a cooperation between disparate modules. Equally, we can learn a lot from brain injuries and neurological deficits. There are many interesting aspects to review; an important one is the "synfire theory", which is the most tantalising approach for bridging the gap between firing neurons and the memory in the brain. The second part of my presentation will details the the "hard problem", the question of why consciousness awareness exists at all, and why the information processing does not go on "in the dark". As a part of this review, I'll consider some contemporary issues such as Searle's Chinese Room, the Cartesian Theatre, the worth of introspection, intentionality and zombies and zimboes. My explanation for consciousness has much in common with Dennett's "Zimbo" approach - that for a sufficiently complicated information processing machine, able to analyse its own experience, the experience of consciousness will naturally arise.
MC	John Bentley

2007-02(Feb)-21 Wed	Loving Egoistically (Skye Nettleton)
Max Stirner's "The Ego and His Own" (1844) is regarded as the seminal work in nihilistic egoism and ranks him a progenitor of atheistic existentialism. Stirner's pre-existential philosophy is widely regarded as anarchistic and manipulative. However, setting aside conservative moral judgements, Stirner provides refreshing and liberating insights into how a philosophy of romantic love relationships might work.
Speaker ( - mins)			Skye Nettleton
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2007-02(Feb)-07 Wed	Naming and Necessity (Ellen Watson)

MC	John Bentley

2007-01(Jan)-17 Wed	Insights through Vipassana meditation (Thea Kremser)

Speaker ( - mins)			Thea Kremser
	Vipassana Meditation Centre at Blackheath
MC	John August

2007-01(Jan)-03 Wed	The Meaning of Life (Ellen Watson)
In order to address the question of the meaning of life, I'm going to break it down into two different questions, and then evaluate some candidate answers. The two questions are, first, what constitutes a self, and then, given the answer the first question, what should one do to live the best life? And the candidate answers I'll be looking at fall into these five groups: I am my body (physical self, bloodline, ancestors); I am my mind (ideas, values, experiences, personality); I am what I do (career, achievements, history, biography); I am my relationships (family, culture, children); I am my stuff (possessions, collections, prostheses, scaffolding);
Speaker ( - mins)			Ellen Watson
	Speech
MC	Ben Felden

2006-12(Dec)-20 Wed	End of the World (Ansgar Fehnker)
The idea that at some point in the near future the world, or even time itself, will cease to exist is a central concept in many religious traditions. Modern secular society typically shrugs when confronted with end-of-time prophecies. However, even the secular society cherishes its own doomsdays scenarios: from climate change and y2k bug to nuclear winter and bird flu. Why is the idea of an impending end-of-the world so attractive? To what extent does it determine our view on the world? What does it tell us about our idea of our position in the world, and what about our concept of time?
Speaker ( - mins)			Ansgar Fehnker
	Ansgar's End of the World Blog
MC	John Bentley

2006-12(Dec)-06 Wed	Existential Love (Skye Nettleton)
Simone de Beauvoir's and Jean-Paul Sartre's life-long experiment for a new philosophy that could really be lived is a fascinating, inspiring, liberating and outrageously intense love story. In Hazel Rowley's recent book Tete-a-Tete, regarding Simone de Beauvoir's and Jean-Paul Sartre's relationships, she asks: Why settle for monogamy when you can have freedom and stability, love affairs and commitment? Why keep secrets when you have a best friend and lover to whom you can tell anything and everything? (Yes, everything - including every sordid detail of other sexual encounters!) We will discuss what loving existentially means through a fresh analysis of the lives and existential philosophies of the lovers Beauvoir and Sartre.
Speaker ( - mins)			Skye Nettleton
	Speech Cogito Journal of Philosophy 2006. Including "Loving Existentially: Liaisons Dangereuses and Romantic Love Philosophies of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre" by Skye (.pdf)
Quick Issues
MC	Ben Felden

2006-11(Nov)-15 Wed	Meditation, European Philosophy and Secular Humanism (Ben Felden)
The presentation will begin with a basic conceptual and practical framework of meditation practice. There will then be an exploration of meditation in relation to philosophy: What philosophies are associated with meditation practices and by what criteria can we assess them? What does science have to say about meditation and vice versa? should we adopt a wholly Buddhist philosophy of meditation? Or are there western philosophies, such as Existentialism, that provide a better framework? Should meditation be adopted as an important element of western philosophies? Could it serve as a vital spark for secular Humanism?
Speaker ( - mins)			Ben Felden
	Ben Feldon's Personal site Amura The Sydney Meditation Meetup Group The Sydney Humanism Meetup Group
MC	John Bentley

2006-11(Nov)-01 Wed	The word "Om" (Adrian Tan)

MC	John Bentley

2006-10(Oct)-18 Wed	How to successfully predict human behaviour (Allan McCay)
In this paper I will attempt to create an exhaustive list of the ways in which one person could successfully predict the behaviour of another. I will attempt to identify a number of different explanations for these predictive successes. I then go on to look at behavioural genetics to see which of the explanations could explain the success of the predictions of behavioural geneticists. Finally I will briefly consider the implications for the free will debate.
MC	John Bentley

2006-10(Oct)-04 Wed	The Humanist Philosophy (John August)
Humanism is a philosophical life stance which is a development from atheism. Its positions include : - A naturalistic, non-supernatural view of the world. - A unity between mind and body, with humans an evolutionary by-product - Faith in humans being able to solve challenges by their own means without the need for supernatural agencies. - Endorsement of free will and a rejection of fatalism originating in determinism - though it is compatible with an "emotionally positive" determinism. - Holding a valid ethical framework can be derived from tangible experience without the need for supernatural agencies. - Life satisfaction is obtained through a combination of personally. satisfying activities along with productive endeavours which benefit the community. - The appreciation of nature and the aesthetic experience are valid and worthwhile without any need for the supernatural. - World democracy, peace and a flourishing economic order are worthwhile and achievable goals. - The application of reason to democratic government combined with full civil liberties and freedom of expression. I'll be outlining elements of the humanist life stance above along with some further consequences of the position, including consideration of contemporary atheistic movements and comparisons of humans to animals, aliens and post-human civilisation.
MC	Ansgar Fehnker

2006-09(Sep)-20 Wed	Even if free will existed, you wouldn't want it. (Ellen Watson)
The idea that human beings have free will forms the foundation of many people's very conception of human nature. It also forms the grounds of many moral systems, those that rely on the principle that people can be held responsible for their actions because they freely chose to do them. This conception of human free will is threatened by a deterministic understanding of the physical world. If human beings are part of nature and nature is determined by the laws of physics (or of other sciences), then doesn't it follow that our actions are not free, and that choice is an illusion? I'm going to present a way out of this problem. It turns out that when you actually try to define what free will would be, the very concept appears flawed and nonsensical. I will argue that if you get something free enough, it no longer looks anything like will, and vice versa. I will try to convince you to stop wanting free will, and therefore you will no longer be troubled by determinism. I will also explore two alternative views that might offer other ways out of the problem - one a different conception of causation in the natural world, and the other a consideration of free will at a different level of explanation.
Speaker ( - mins)	Even if free will existed, you wouldn't want it.		Ellen Watson
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2006-09(Sep)-06 Wed	Utopias (Edward Neylan)

MC	Ansgar Fehnker

2006-08(Aug)-16 Wed	The Israel Lebanon conflict. (John August)
Speaker ( - mins)	The Israel Lebanon conflict. (John August)		John August
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2006-08(Aug)-02 Wed	Civil Disobedience. (Adrian Tan)

MC	Edward Neylan

2006-07(Jul)-19 Wed	Should drugs be legalised or decriminalized? (Oliver Ledoux)
If so what model should be used? And who should be responsible for the application and regulation of the policy?
MC	Edward Neylan

2006-07(Jul)-05 Wed	Public Health and Individual Responsibility.
Speaker ( - mins)	Public Health and Individual Responsibility.		Ivette Mendoza q
	Andrew Crooks' Quick Issue: The Nature and Cause of Racism.

2006-06(Jun)-21 Wed	Madness. (Catherine Jones)
Although madness is difficult to define precisely some forms entail marked flights from reality. Hallucinations can involve a world of demons, monsters, and absurdities, which make for an experience akin to a horror movie. An experience which can challenge allegiance to life itself. This is why so many mad people commit suicide - they've been scared to death.
MC	Adrian Tan

2006-06(Jun)-07 Wed	Why Schooling is bad for you.(Edward Neylan)
Speaker (5 - 25 mins)	Why Schooling is bad for you.(Edward Neylan)		Edward Neylan
Quick Issues	More pain V more life. (Ian Woolf)
MC	Adrian Tan

2006-05(May)-17 Wed	Abortions: Beyond Access. (John August)
Speaker ( - mins)	Abortions: Beyond Access. (John August)		John August
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2006-05(May)-03 Wed	Shouldn't we exorcise spirituality from our lives? (5-7 min Intro by John Bentley)
Some atheists and agnostics claim a wish for, or success at, living spiritually. Is this mere religious residue that will lead them to waste their time? Is a "spiritual life" vague nonsense? If we don't live spiritually what might be an alternative? Shopping? Happiness? Meaning, authenticity, the sublime, being productive, enlightenment, being ethical, art, peace of mind, improving the world, it's-all-for-the-music, striving to be your best, becoming part of something larger than yourself, or cricket? Are some of these alternatives vague nonsense too or otherwise troubling?
MC	Ian Woolf

2006-04(Apr)-19 Wed	Does more material wealth make you better off? (5-7 min Introduction by John Bentley)
Siddhartha Gautama, Christ, and Francis of Assisi renounced material wealth to some extent. Were they wrong? To be charged with "materialism" can mean spending too much time seeking or getting satisfaction from material wealth. Yet many economies, if not all, are directed toward increasing material wealth without bound. Assuming no environmental or distribution issues shouldn't increases in material wealth improve our lives?
MC	John Bentley

2006-04(Apr)-05 Wed	Freedom of Speech and the Danish Cartoons. (Ansgar Fehnker)
Speaker (5 - 10 mins)	Freedom of Speech and the Danish Cartoons. (Ansgar Fehnker)		Ansgar Fehnker
	Speech Blog
MC	Ian Woolf

2006-03(Mar)-15 Wed	Laws Against Terror. (Ian Woolf)
Speaker ( - mins)	Laws Against Terror. (Ian Woolf)		Ian Woolf
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2006-03(Mar)-01 Wed	Should fucking in public be legalised? (John Bentley)
Speaker (5 - 25 mins)	Should fucking in public be legalised? (John Bentley)		John Bentley
	Speech

2006-02(Feb)-15 Wed	At the Botanic Gardens. How can we stop the United States from being an immoral dictatorship? (Open Forum)
Philorum is open to all political views so you could challenge that the US is this. Is Global Justice desirable? If so, what form should it take and how do we get there?
MC	Adrian Tan

2006-02(Feb)-01 Wed	At Bondi.Your offensive idea (Open Forum).
Bring along your offensive idea or criticise the offensive ideas of others.
MC	John August

2006-01(Jan)-18 Wed	Torture and photography (Adrian Tan)
We will meet in the open, on the steps in front of Bondi Pavilion, 18:15 for 18:30 start. We will break for an hour for dinner at a local eatery. Finish 21:30.
MC

2006-01(Jan)-04 Wed	What significance does death have for our life? (Open Forum)
Would you choose to be immortal if you could? If you discovered you had X time period to live is the extent to which you would change your life the extent of its failure? If you are in your prime is it necessarily counter to self interest to kill yourself on whim?
MC	Adrian Tan

2005-12(Dec)-21 Wed	Light Pollution (John August)
Light pollution takes away the stars from our sky and narrows the life experience we have in the city, taking us away from the spectacular starscape our ancestors took for granted. Unlike other forms of pollution, there is no excuse, and little amelioration - we cannot say so easily that with improved technology and wealth we will reduce light pollution, as we did with air pollution and photochemical smog. Light pollution is always with us as our economy "progresses" - and tells us something important about economic development, and the cost of progress.

2005-12(Dec)-07 Wed	Workplace Reform: We should aim for full unemployment. (John Bentley)
Speaker (5 - 25 mins)	Workplace Reform: We should aim for full unemployment. (John Bentley)		John Bentley
	Speech

2005-11(Nov)-16 Wed	Prediction and Free Will (Allan McCay)
Scientific developments in areas such as behavioural genetics have raised the possibility of better predictions of how people will behave than are currently available. For example, there is some suggestion that it may be possible to more accurately predict who may commit criminal offences. What might better predictions about behaviour mean for free will?. It will be argued that slightly better predictions would undermine free will a little and excellent predictions would undermine it a lot. The focus will be on the libertarian position with regard free will rather than the compatibilist position.

2005-11(Nov)-02 Wed	Objectifying
Speaker (5 - 10 mins)	Objectifying		Adrian Tan
	Speech

2005-10(Oct)-19 Wed	Open Forum
Several 2-3 minute slots to talk about whatever you like.
MC

2005-10(Oct)-05 Wed	Open Forum
Note "Illusions and Delusions of Happiness", Caroline West now on Wed 12 Oct 2005. Russoc guest lecture. 19.15. Holme Common Room, Holme Building, Science Road, University of Sydney. http://www.geocities.com/russellian_society/

2005-09(Sep)-21 Wed	Open Forum.
You should get at least one 2-3 minute space to express anything on your mind.
MC	John Bentley

2005-09(Sep)-07 Wed	Is the use of force ever justified? (Open Forum)
Can a world be created where personal or military force is never needed? If so, how? If the use of force is sometimes justified what are the conditions?
MC	Adrian Tan

2005-08(Aug)-17 Wed	What should be the limits to Free Speech?
Speaker (5 - 10 mins)	What should be the limits to Free Speech?		John Bentley
MC	Adrian Tan

2005-08(Aug)-03 Wed	The Ritzian alternative to the theory of relativity. (John August)
Einstein's special theory of relativity is said to be well supported, the only possible way of explaining the universe. However, Ritzian theory represents an important alternative. Many situations which relativity explains can also be explained by Ritzian theory - and the evidence for the postulates of relativity is patchy at best. There will be an outline of Einstein's theory, and how it first arose from problems with Maxwell's theory and early attempts to explain the propagtion of light together with electric and magnetic fields. It will be argued Ritzian theory provides alternative explanations for mass increase, time dilation and other phenomena. If you wish to read up: http://arachnid.apana.org.au/johna/ritz.html

2005-07(Jul)-20 Wed	What is Love?
Speaker (5 - 15 mins)	What is Love?		Pedro Nunes
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2005-07(Jul)-06 Wed	Happiness? (Open Forum)
What is it? How do you get it? Should something else besides it be pursued?

2005-06(Jun)-15 Wed	A first principles approach to drugs, crime, capital punishment, terrorism, nuclear proliferation and other social issues.
Speaker (15 - 20 mins)	A first principles approach to drugs, crime, capital punishment, terrorism, nuclear proliferation and other social issues.		Phil Wong
MC	John Bentley

2005-06(Jun)-01 Wed	Is Time Travel Possible?
Speaker (15 - 25 mins)	Is Time Travel Possible?		Mark Virtue
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2005-05(May)-18 Wed	Free Will and Determinism.
Speaker (5 - 25 mins)	Free Will and Determinism.		Karen Crighton
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2005-05(May)-04 Wed	The rights of non-human animals. (Open Forum)
Should non-human animals have some rights? Are there morally significant differences between humans and non-human animals? Is being a vegan a silly new age notion like healing crystals and iridology?
MC	John Bentley

2005-04(Apr)-20 Wed	Prejudice, generalisations, and judging individuals. (Open Forum)
"I am quietly judging you." defensively slurs Frank TJ Mackey, Tom Cruise in Magnolia (1999), against the reporter exposing fraudulent credentials. Even if we can remove our own: prejudice about an individual and/or; false generalisations about groups an individual might belong to; Are all other types of judgement about individuals wrong? Is it possible not to judge an individual?
MC	John Bentley

2005-04(Apr)-06 Wed	Truth Subjectivism. (Open Forum)
Is what is true for an individual or group whatever that individual or group believes to be true? Related issues: Does it make any sense to say there is truth?
MC	John Bentley

2005-03(Mar)-16 Wed	Moral Relativism. (Open Forum)
Is what is morally right for a group to do whatever a group believes it is right to do? Related issue: Are there moral truths?
MC	John Bentley

2005-03(Mar)-02 Wed	What is Art? (Open Forum)

MC	John Bentley

2005-02(Feb)-16 Wed	Political Correctness. (Open Forum)

MC	John Bentley

2005-02(Feb)-02 Wed	Reflections on the Tsunami
Speaker (5 - 15 mins)	Reflections on the Tsunami		Adrian Tan
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2004-12(Dec)-01 Wed	Values. (Open Forum)
Does valuing somethings over others lead to a better life? Are they arbitrary? Are moral beliefs values? What do you value?
MC	John Bentley

2004-11(Nov)-03 Wed	Pacifism (Open Forum)
Issues related to Pacifism. Is military force or war necessary? Is it sometimes right to kill noncombatants? Future meetings may deal more squarely with "Was the Iraq war just"? And "What kind of World Order ought we have?"
MC	John Bentley

2004-10(Oct)-06 Wed	What is the meaning of life? (Open Forum)
Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also.
MC	John Bentley

2004-09(Sep)-15 Wed	Freedom - Aboriginal Sovereignty and Peace
Speaker (5 - 10 mins)	Freedom - Aboriginal Sovereignty and Peace		Pat Lavilles
MC	John Bentley

2004-09(Sep)-01 Wed	(Open Forum)
Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also.
MC	John Bentley

2004-08(Aug)-18 Wed	(Open Forum)
Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also.
Quick Issues	Luca Searle	Adrian Tan
MC	John Bentley

2004-08(Aug)-04 Wed	(Open Forum)
Quick Issuers speak on anything they like for about 2 minutes. Then the floor responds. About 2 minutes each also.

2004-07(Jul)-21 Wed	Championing The Individual
Speaker (5 - 10 mins)	Championing The Individual		Steve Dick
	Speech
Quick Issues	Luca Searle	George Endacott
MC	John Bentley

2004-07(Jul)-07 Wed	Philorum was suspended. James Franklin's "Corrupting Youth" at GleeBooks
Philorum was suspended for this day. Instead At Gleebooks there was. The Responsibility of Philosophers. Raimond Gaita in conversation with James Franklin & Jean Curthoys about Franklin's new book 'Corrupting the Youth' - an "opinionated" history of Australian Philosophy.

2004-06(Jun)-16 Wed	Is there anything wrong with a big ego? (John Bentley)
Speaker (10 - 20 mins)	Is there anything wrong with a big ego? (John Bentley)		John Bentley
	Speech
MC	John Bentley

2004-06(Jun)-02 Wed	Is there anything wrong with pornography? Is there anything wrong with pornography?
Speaker (10 - 15 mins)	Is there anything wrong with pornography?		Patricia Petersen
	Pornography's legitimate place in society, by Patricia Petersen, Aug 98 Patricia Petersen, Speech 28 May 1999, Brisbane
Speaker (10 - 15 mins)	Is there anything wrong with pornography?		James Franklin
	Speech James Franklin's Home Page
MC	John Bentley