Mansi Bhagwate of Liberation Philadelphia and Jon Campbell of the Humane League will discuss their different approaches to animal rights activism, abolitionism and welfarism. We will discuss the ethical implications of these two approaches, the difference in strategies that these two activist approaches would take, and where the two approaches agree and diverge. Vegan dinner [...]

Join the Philadelphia Stoics on March 8 and 22 for their continuing discussion of the lessons and exercises in A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control – 52 Week-by-Week Lessons by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez.  In preparation for the meeting on March 8, you are encouraged to read and [...]

March's Topic: Enemies and Empathy In our minds, human beings both create images of the enemy and feel deep empathy towards others.  We dehumanize those we label as threats and share the feelings of those we embrace. How do we balance these two often-conflicting tendencies? Can we find a way to protect ourselves while de-escalating our own “fight [...]

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED Freedom of Speech, with Sigal Ben-Porath and Amy Sepinwall Is support for free speech declining on college campuses? Can universities prohibit hate speech, and other forms of expression that threaten inclusivity? This is the second event in our three-part series of public ethics talks, that aim to increase dialogue between [...]

Thoughtful conversations about philosophy Alex Gutierrez, a senior majoring in philosophy at Haverford College, will tackle the subject of Neoliberalism. Perhaps you have heard of the term "neoliberalism". It has recently been applied to such diverse figures as Reagan, Clinton, and Obama. The current economic order is largely neoliberal. What does neoliberalism mean? Where did [...]

Join the Philadelphia Stoics on March 8 and 22 for their continuing discussion of the lessons and exercises in A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control – 52 Week-by-Week Lessons by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez.  In preparation for the meeting on March 8, you are encouraged to read and [...]

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED Chloe Cockburn leads the Open Philanthropy Project’s strategy for investing in criminal justice policy and practice reforms. This will substantially reduce incarceration while maintaining public safety. She will be discussing her work at the Open Philanthropy Project, as well as the criminal justice space in general. Chloe previously oversaw state [...]

Bring your lunch and join Hugh Taft-Morales for a casual conversation online about life and laughter.  I encourage you to bring one joke, pun, or riddle to share just to mix things up! Email LeaderHugh@phillyethics.org for an invite.

All are invited to discuss an important book: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande. The book raises questions about how our country approaches aging and dying. If you are interested, please order the book!  It’s available in paperback, audiobook, and kindle.  [I am offering two times for your convenience.  Both discussions [...]

Bring your lunch and join Hugh Taft-Morales for a casual conversation.  Just to mix things up, I will offer some thoughts on dreams and dreaming. Has your dream experience changed during the pandemic? Email LeaderHugh@phillyethics.org for an invite.