Austin Philosophy Meetups

APM is an intellectual safe space where freethinking individuals can learn, discuss and build friendships with others who value growth in their ability to think critically.

Our attendees are diverse. Some are community members while others are former or current philosophy students. We welcome gay, straight, Republican, Democrat, Theist, Atheist, Kantian, Utilitarian, Objectivist, whatever. We even welcome those who have been deceived into thinking that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

Our group is united not by the positions we agree on, but by the importance we place on the process of arriving at these positions. The adoption and analysis of one’s personal worldview isn’t a small thing. APM is our attempt to create space for people to explore these issues in the context of an open and supportive learning community.

We rent formal space in Austin one Saturday evening per month for a “big group” gathering. We use the time to eat together, hear 1) a few short (5-10 minutes each) talks from group members and 2) a TED-style philosophy talk (about 20 minutes) from myself or a guest speaker. The evening concludes with large group discussion. This monthly event and dinner are funded by private donors and is free of charge to participants.

We also has small group meetups once per month at a coffee shop for those interested in study a certain book or topic together. The current topic of these informal meetups is Ward Farnsworth’s book, The Practicing Stoic, a text that explores the ethical pillars of late/Roman Stoicism.

If you’re interested in participating in any of the above, I’d be happy to talk more with you. This is a private group, so we do not publicize the times/locations of our meetings. However, you are more than welcome to attend provided we have a brief conversation beforehand to get to know each other a bit.

The relational piece is very important to our group, so it’s important that you get to know myself or another group member. We want your first experience at APM to be exceptional, so it’s great when you show up to our “big group” and already have a friend!

If you’re interested in learning more, search and join “Austin Philosophy Meetups” on Facebook. Include your contact information when you request membership and I, or someone in our group, will be happy contact you ASAP and schedule a coffee meeting to discuss your interest in philosophy.