Philosophy by the river

THE VENUE: Caffè Nero, Fitzroy St

Update: We run the same event in two locations: Caffè Nero and Starbucks, so as to provide capacity for as many people who would like to attend. Thus, there will be two events published, and you can choose which one to attend. Please don't sign up for both. This event is for the Nero location.

We meet upstairs at Caffè Nero. An organiser will be present from 10.45. We are not charged for use of the space so it would be good if everyone bought at least one drink.

An attendee limit has been set so as not to overwhelm the venue.

Etiquette
Our discussions are friendly and open. We are a discussion group, not a for-and-against debating society. But it helps if we try to stay on topic. And we should not talk over others, interrupt them, or try to dominate the conversation.

There is often a waiting list for places, so please cancel your attendance as soon as possible if you subsequently find you can't come.

WhatsApp groups
We have two WhatsApp groups. One is to notify events, including extra events such as meeting for a meal or a drink during the week which we don't normally put on the Meetup site. The other is for open discussion of whatever topics occur to people. If you would like to join either or both groups, please send a note of the phone number you would like to use to Richard Baron on: website.audible238@passmail.net. (This is an alias that can be discarded if it attracts spam, hence the odd words.)

THE TOPIC: Why be moral ?

This introduction has been written by Duncan.

We have discussed morality several times before but usually in the context of how to lead a moral life or how to resolve a specific ethical conundrum. We haven't previously asked why we should be moral in the first place.

You might say that leading a moral life is a rational thing to do and is what everyone would do if only they'd think about it hard enough.

Or you might think that it's a purely pragmatic attitude if we wish to live in a happy, safe and secure society. We can pick and choose when to behave morally, based on the likely outcomes.

You might say that living morally is intrinsic to being a functioning human, just as functioning clocks tell the correct time and functioning scissors cut paper. This seems to be inextricably linked to our tendency to live in groups. Moral behaviour would matter less if it affected no one else.

Do we have strong reasons for living a moral life ?

THE VENUE: Starbucks, Burleigh St

Update: We run the same event in two locations: Caffè Nero and Starbucks, so as to provide capacity for as many people who would like to attend. Thus, there will be two events published, and you can choose which one to attend. Please don't sign up for both. Please don't sign up for both. This event is for the Starbucks location.

We meet upstairs at Starbucks. An organiser or regular attendee will be present from 10.45. We are not charged for use of the space so it would be good if everyone bought at least one drink.

An attendee limit has been set so as not to overwhelm the venue.

Etiquette
Our discussions are friendly and open. We are a discussion group, not a for-and-against debating society. But it helps if we try to stay on topic. And we should not talk over others, interrupt them, or try to dominate the conversation.

There is often a waiting list for places, so please cancel your attendance as soon as possible if you subsequently find you can't come.

WhatsApp groups
We have two WhatsApp groups. One is to notify events, including extra events such as meeting for a meal or a drink during the week which we don't normally put on the Meetup site. The other is for open discussion of whatever topics occur to people. If you would like to join either or both groups, please send a note of the phone number you would like to use to Richard Baron on: website.audible238@passmail.net. (This is an alias that can be discarded if it attracts spam, hence the odd words.)

THE TOPIC: Why be moral ?

This introduction has been written by Duncan.

We have discussed morality several times before but usually in the context of how to lead a moral life or how to resolve a specific ethical conundrum. We haven't previously asked why we should be moral in the first place.

You might say that leading a moral life is a rational thing to do and is what everyone would do if only they'd think about it hard enough.

Or you might think that it's a purely pragmatic attitude if we wish to live in a happy, safe and secure society. We can pick and choose when to behave morally, based on the likely outcomes.

You might say that living morally is intrinsic to being a functioning human, just as functioning clocks tell the correct time and functioning scissors cut paper. This seems to be inextricably linked to our tendency to live in groups. Moral behaviour would matter less if it affected no one else.

Do we have strong reasons for living a moral life ?