South Solihull u3a Philosophy Group 2
INTRODUCTION
Of the two philosophy groups, this one looks at topics with a scientific theme. (The other discusses general topics in philosophy)
The groups meet monthly, usually on the second Tuesday of the month, starting at 10:00 a.m.. You can see dates & details of the next meetings and what we have been discussing on our Philosophy Blog, or just contact Richard Batchelor.
New members always welcome - most of started with no previous formal education in philosophy and you are welcome to just come and see what it's like if you might be interested. It's a good time to join: in the main group we're looking at Julian Baggini's "Ethics, The Big Questions" addressing practical issues around our behaviour.
Of the two philosophy groups, this one looks at topics with a scientific theme. (The other discusses general topics in philosophy)
The groups meet monthly, usually on the second Tuesday of the month, starting at 10:00 a.m.. You can see dates & details of the next meetings and what we have been discussing on our Philosophy Blog, or just contact Richard Batchelor.
New members always welcome - most of started with no previous formal education in philosophy and you are welcome to just come and see what it's like if you might be interested. It's a good time to join: in the main group we're looking at Julian Baggini's "Ethics, The Big Questions" addressing practical issues around our behaviour.
We meet monthly to discuss Philosophy. We read about what questions various philosophers have addressed, the subject areas of philosophy and tools and methods. We have some set basic texts, but everyone is encouraged to explore other books or the internet and bring anything further of interest to share at the discussion. It may sound very intense and cerebral, but actually we are just looking for readily accessible ways to get hold of the best attempts to answer the questions that have been asked through the ages and still puzzle us now.
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
We have studied the Philosophy of Science and discussed various science oriented topics - The Mind, Time, a scientific approach to religion, and various issues in Bio-Ethics. We revisited the basics of philosophy of science in "50 Philosophy of Science Ideas you really need to know" by Gareth Southwell, We have read to Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene". We explored Indian Philosophy, and completed a Coursera course on the moral foundations of political philosophy. We have studied the philosophy of maths and time and Bioethics. and went back to Ancient Greek philosophy. We discussed the Reith Lectures on AI and have completed a course on the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences. We have read Jim Al-Khalili's "The Joy of Science" and followed Daniel Chamovitz' Coursera lectures on plant biology. We are going back to AI
We have studied the Philosophy of Science and discussed various science oriented topics - The Mind, Time, a scientific approach to religion, and various issues in Bio-Ethics. We revisited the basics of philosophy of science in "50 Philosophy of Science Ideas you really need to know" by Gareth Southwell, We have read to Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene". We explored Indian Philosophy, and completed a Coursera course on the moral foundations of political philosophy. We have studied the philosophy of maths and time and Bioethics. and went back to Ancient Greek philosophy. We discussed the Reith Lectures on AI and have completed a course on the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences. We have read Jim Al-Khalili's "The Joy of Science" and followed Daniel Chamovitz' Coursera lectures on plant biology. We are going back to AI
As Alan Turing said:
“Once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers. At some stage therefore we should have to expect the machines to take control.”
“Success would be the biggest event in human history and perhaps the last event in human history.”
“Once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers. At some stage therefore we should have to expect the machines to take control.”
“Success would be the biggest event in human history and perhaps the last event in human history.”
PHILOSOPHY BLOG
Summary Reports of our meetings and dates for our forthcoming meetings can be found on our Philosophy Blog page
Summary Reports of our meetings and dates for our forthcoming meetings can be found on our Philosophy Blog page
