| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: |
Alan Cranston
|
| Group email: | Philosophy 1 group |
| When: | Monthly on Mondays 10:30 am First Monday of every month |
| Venue: | Online |
Topics for discussion
The group takes a philosophical topic for discussion at each meeting. There is usually some pre-meeting reading (or viewing or listening) to help inform the discussion but this is entirely optional. Members help choose the topics for forthcoming meetings and are welcome to briefly introduce topics of interest to them. Topics are mainly from the Western philosophical tradition, and we aim to ensure that the discussion includes their relevance to contemporary issues.
There is a range of experience of philosophy in the group and beginners are welcome.
The next meeting of the group will be at 10.30 on Monday 2 February, when our topic will be Machiavelli, power and the rule of law. The choice of topic is obviously influenced by the current international situation, though the aim is to look not at the politics but at what philosophers have had to say on these topics over time. The central philosophical questions are over power: what is it, how should it be exercised and how does it relate to other aspects of how we live, such as freedom, justice and authority.
Page last updated on 8th January 2026