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 (1)
See all- Marcus Aurelius's MeditationsPanera Bread, Vienna, VA
This will be the first of a series of meetings to discuss the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. For this meeting, try to read books 1 and 2.
Bear in mind that these are his private notes, not meant for publication; so do not expect to follow every point. Also, book 1 is special, in that it consists mostly of his comments on people he knew personally. Overall, I suggest you try to find passages that, either: 1) seem like good advice, or 2) you really disagree with, or 3) seem illuminating about what kind of person Marcus Aurelius was.
If you have the Modern Library edition, also try to read the introduction, especially the part about the style of the work.
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
