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Event Series Class Series: Philosophy Through Geometry

Class Series: Philosophy Through Geometry

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

Ancient authors tell us that, at the door to Plato’s Academy, there was a sign which read “Let no one who does not geometrize enter here.” Regardless of the literal truth of that story, the practice of geometry clearly held an important place in the Academy, and in the ancient Greek philosophical tradition more generally. Over the course of four weeks together, we’ll explore some of the reasons why. This exploration will combine hands-on, practical, collaborative work in doing geometry, with philosophical reading and reflection on what we’re doing, and why it matters. This is not a "math class." Each and every week, we’ll combine four different elements: Practical exercises in geometry, short readings from the dialogues of Plato, ideas drawn from other ancient philosophers like Aristotle, Euclid, Iamblichus, and Proclus, and lively & active conversation and collaboration, as a community of learners, exploring together the interplay of these philosophical and geometrical themes. Learn more and register here!

Philosophy Workshop: “Grief as Self-Discovery” w/ Student Scholar Fellow Julianna Breit

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

In this workshop designed and led by Merlin Student Scholar Fellow Julianna Breit, we’ll offer a framework for acknowledging and understanding grief’s role in our lives through the lens of philosophy. In the process, we’ll explore three basic questions: “What is grief?”, “What can it do for us?”, and “How is grief related to self-discovery & self-knowledge?” Learn more & RSVP here!

Philosophy Workshop: “Beyond Mindfulness – Western Meditation Techniques in Theory & Practice”

Reeder's Alley (Caretaker's Lawn) 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena

In this workshop, we’ll explore several techniques of meditation with deep roots in Western spiritual, religious, and philosophical life and practice. We’ll examine two daily practices, popular among the ancient Pythagoreans and Stoics, for developing the power of recollection and preparing ourselves for challenging circumstances. And we'll consider more broadly the ways in which meditative practices can help us to develop our powers of attention, concentration, clarity, and discernment. Learn more & RSVP here!

Philosophy Workshop: “How to Meditate with a Text”

Reeder's Alley (Caretaker's Lawn) 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena

For thousands of years, people seeking after wisdom have approached important texts as invitations for meditation, whose treasures can be uncovered through careful, deliberate practices of attention. In this workshop, we’ll explore some of these techniques, combining practical instruction with reflections on the theoretical and conceptual background needed to make sense of the practices. Learn more & RSVP here!

Philosophy Workshop: “Myth in Philosophy”

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

This workshop will explore the role of myth within philosophy, the life dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom. What kinds of myths are there? (We'll consider specific examples of myths: both the traditional Greek myths which Plato and his tradition examined, and myths from other times and places). When & how can myths be used effectively and appropriately? What does it mean to engage with myth in a specifically philosophical mode? How do mythic modes of understanding enrich, complement, or complete other ways of thinking and knowing, like the logical or analytical? Learn more & RSVP here.

Philosophy Workshop: “On Empathy”

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

In this philosophy workshop led by student scholar fellow Julianna Breit, we'll explore our roles in empathy, questioning the aim of empathetic interactions, and analyzing what empathy looks like when it’s done well. After looking at the aesthetic foundations of empathy, we'll consider the interplay between savoring the other’s emotion and mitigating our own emotional overload. Learn more & RSVP here!

Philosophy Workshop: “Three Lives” Reading & Discussion

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

Philosophical and spiritual texts from India, like the Bhagavad Gita, often present a choice — or even a conflict — between three lives, or three different ways that we humans might organize and structure our lives: action, knowledge, and devotion. In this workshop, we’ll use a few short selections from important philosophical texts, East and West, as a springboard for understanding each life, both on its own terms, and in conflict or dialogue with the others. Learn more & RSVP here.

Philosophy Workshop: “Friendship & Actions” Reading & Discussion

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

In his Handbook, the Stoic philosopher Epictetus tells us that “the appropriate actions for us to do are usually measured out for us by our relations.”  Epictetus suggests that we can see how to act fittingly in any given situation, based on how we are related to the other people involved, whether as family members, friends, fellow citizens, enemies, or in whatever other way. In this reading & discussion, we’ll use some extended quotations from Simplicius’ commentary as a springboard for reflecting on friendship, and on the appropriate actions that arise from our relationships more generally.  Learn more & RSVP here.

Philosophy Workshop: “Ways of Knowing”

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

Most of us have the basic intuition that, because the truth “always is what it is”then there shouldn’t really be different “kinds” of knowing: we either know, or we don’t know, and that’s that.  Knowledge, like truth, should be objective and invariable. Yet many of us also have another intuition: sometimes, there really does seem to be “something different” about knowing, or about acquiring knowledge, in different ways. In this workshop we'll apply some traditional tools, along with our own careful analytic skill, to see what we can salvage from both intuitions. We’ll identify, as best we can, what each intuition gets right, as well as how they fit together in a coherent way. Critically, we’ll learn to appreciate the difference between knowing, as an activity that we do, and knowledge, as a thing that we have. Learn more & RSVP here.

Philosophy Workshop: Ethics in the Field — A Combat Perspective

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

A workshop exploring just war theory, rules of engagement, and ethical dilemmas faced in combat. Led by philosopher U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and Inspector General of the Montana National Guard Charles Phillips, this gathering will involve indoor & outdoor time with hands-on activities. Learn more & RSVP here.

Workshop Series: Reading Myths Philosophically

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

Myths—inspired stories which relate “things which never happened at any particular time, but which always are,” in one ancient author’s memorable phrase—have played an important role in wisdom traditions around the world. But the role of myth is often woefully misunderstood in our contemporary society, where myths are seen as mere fiction, falsehood, or silly stories that “other people” tell who are “too ignorant to do science,” the way “we” do. In this two-part series, we’ll try to recover a richer, more robust understanding of myth, with the help of some Platonist philosophers of the 3rd-5th centuries, who defended and explained mythic modes of knowing for an age, much like ours, in which elite opinion scorned traditional myths. Learn more & RSVP here.

Workshop Series: Reading Myths Philosophically (Session 2)

Reeder's Alley Interpretive & Convention Center 101 Reeder's Alley, Helena, MT, United States

Myths—inspired stories which relate “things which never happened at any particular time, but which always are,” in one ancient author’s memorable phrase—have played an important role in wisdom traditions around the world. But the role of myth is often woefully misunderstood in our contemporary society, where myths are seen as mere fiction, falsehood, or silly stories that “other people” tell who are “too ignorant to do science,” the way “we” do. In this two-part series, we’ll try to recover a richer, more robust understanding of myth, with the help of some Platonist philosophers of the 3rd-5th centuries, who defended and explained mythic modes of knowing for an age, much like ours, in which elite opinion scorned traditional myths. Learn more & RSVP here.

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