What we’re about
"Those who can be made to believe absurdities can be made to commit atrocities."
- Voltaire
Come and join a friendly group of people in Fairfax, Virginia for monthly Sunday discussions of the ideas of the European Enlightenment, also known as the “Age of Voltaire.” These ideas include the following:
- A critical attitude toward religion
- A profound respect for reason and science as sources of knowledge
- The idea of individual rights and a free society
- The importance of freedom of speech for a free society
- Human happiness or flourishing as a moral standard
We’ll look at the writings of Voltaire and his contemporaries (such as Diderot, d’Alembert, and Paine), as well as much more recent writings that may fit into the Enlightenment tradition (including works by Steven Pinker and Richard Dawkins).
Our first project was a set of discussions on Steven Pinker’s book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.
The group host is Frederick Seiler, author of God Versus Nature: The Conflict Between Religion and Science in History.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, Books 6, 7, 8, 11Panera Bread, Vienna, VA
This is our third and final discussion of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. For this meeting, try to read books 6, 7, 8, and 11. (If there are items in the skipped chapters you want to discuss, that's fine; please mention them in the comments.)
After the meeting some of us usually stay for lunch.
Bear in mind that these are his private notes, not meant for publication; so do not expect to follow every point.
You can use any version/translation of the Meditations. I will be using the Modern Library translation by Gregory Hays:
LINKIf you would like to watch a video about stoicism, here is a good one: LINK
Fred
- Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th CenturyPanera Bread, Vienna, VA
Timothy Snyder is a history professor at Yale University; he specializes in the history of fascism and communism in the 20th century.
His short (126-page) book On Tyranny proposes 20 ideas for how an oncoming tyranny can be resisted and opposed. These ideas come from his study of the tyrannies of the 20th century.Let's discuss Snyder's ideas and see if they make sense.
On Tyranny is available at local libraries and at Amazon here: LINK
Here is a video of Snyder talking about the book: LINKI hope to see you there!
Fred
