Philosophy Walk: “Justice as Fairness: Exploring & Applying the Ideas of Rawls”

In this walk we’ll be exploring the the idea of justice through the lens of equity and fairness — two critical features of the late John Rawls’ theory of justice. While a summary of Rawls’ views, including the dynamics of his arguments and its implications will be discussed at the outset, the bulk of this walk will be spent exploring, working out, expanding upon, and applying Rawls’ views in a “hands-on” way to past and contemporary issues. Learn more and RSVP here!

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Philosophy Workshop: “Justice as Fairness: An Introduction to Rawls”

In this outdoor workshop we’ll be exploring the idea of justice as fairness — a position advanced by the late philosopher John Rawls.  The workshop will be introductory and will discuss justice through the lens of equity and fairness — two critical features of Rawls’ theory of justice — and the dynamics of Rawls’ arguments and their implications.  Competing perspectives and modern day comparisons on justice will also be explored, as will discussion about the intellectual climate within which Rawls’ contributions to philosophy arose. Learn more and RSVP for this workshop here!

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Philosophy Workshop Series: “What is Philosophy?” (The Basics)

To celebrate the new year, we kicked off our 2021 workshop series by looking at the questions: “What is philosophy? What does it involve, what does it do, and why should we care?” For this first ZOOM workshop led by philosopher David Nowakowski, we surveyed several approaches to the question, “What is philosophy?”, each of which raised its own further questions for reflection and discussion. We also took a quick tour of the major areas or divisions of philosophy, as they developed in Greece, India, and elsewhere. Access resources and reading recommendations here!

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BWP Helena Great Northern Hotel Helping to Support Philosophy in the Community in 2021

Thank you to Karena and the BWP Helena Great Northern Hotel family for your continued support of our organization.  Your 2021 in-kind sponsorship will help to support our philosophy in the community activities through the provision of lodging for our out-of-town guest speakers.

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2020 Merlin Mailer End-of-Year Newsletter

Well, we’re in the final leg of 2020 — a year that, for obvious reasons, has been a challenging one for us all. While 2020 has helped to reveal society’s deep fissures (and in many ways ripped them wide open), it has also shown us another picture — the possibility of a better WE. This is, I think, among our most important tasks in 2021…keeping this possibility alive and moving toward that horizon TOGETHER. With gratitude & kindness…please enjoy our Merlin 2020 EOY Newsletter. Read more here!

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What Our 2020 CARES Act Relief Grant from Humanities MT Helped Fund

We are extremely grateful to Humanities Montana and the National Endowment for Humanities for awarding our organization a $5,000 CARES Act Grant earlier this year.  Their rapid-response relief funding provided operational support to our non-profit (and so many others) during an extreme time of need.  Thank you so much!!  Check out what their relief grant helped to fund!

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Philosophy Night School: “Human Nature & the World: An Extended Intro to Early Hindu Philosophies”

A 4-week ZOOM “Night School” course led by philosopher David Nowakowski that explores various aspects of early Hindu philosophies, focusing on questions of cosmology and philosophical anthropology: roughly, “How is the universe put together?” and “How is the human being put together, in relation to that wider world?” Learn more and register for this Zoom night school course here! Registration closes at 2pm on January 20th.

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Philosophy Workshop Series: “What is Philosophy?” (Thinking about Thinking)

In this final installment of our “What is Philosophy?” series, we’ll look at some of the most fundamental issues in philosophy: knowledge, reasoning, and what makes for an effective argument. Learn more and register for this Zoom workshop here!

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