Events

Postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions

20 April 2021

We all get together for our first social event of the semester!

This essay by the famous philosopher and logician Betrand Russell deals with a classical question that has troubled philosophers for millennia: How can we prove or disprove God's existence? However Russell wants to ultimately answer a less abstract question: Is Christianity good or bad for society?

What is the best way for humans to organise as a society? Is government a necessary evil, or are humans better off in the state of nature? We turn to the classic works of Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau for their discussion on social contracts that undergird the morality of governments. (See calendar event for text to be covered)

What do we mean when we say 'Dragons do not exist?' Because if they do not, how can we talk about something that isn't there? This is the fundamental question of ontology, addressed eloquently in this classic paper by W.V. Quine.