Event (Page 5)

Workshop Series: Reading Myths Philosophically (Session 2)

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

June 2023 Philosophy Walk: “Wildlife Recovery & Ethics”

In this philosophy walk led by philosopher Christopher Preston we explored five core questions centered around our relationship with and conceptions of the wild. Access audio recordings and photos here!

How Did We Get Here?: Labor & Work

We often take “labor” and “work” as synonyms, describing an often-difficult process that’s required to “get by” in life, or even to “make our living.” Yet there’s also a strong contrast between the demanding-yet-fulfilling “work” and drudgery, as well as other complicated dances between labor and leisure, work and recreation, action and contemplation, “liberal” and “servile” pursuits. These complications have been viewed very differently across the centuries. In this installment of “How Did We Get Here?” we explored this and then some! Access resources here!

How Did We Get Here?: Freedom

In this installment of “How Did We Get Here?” with philosopher Ed Glowienka we considered something we all want, but can’t agree on how to get: freedom. We explored the shift between classical and Enlightenment notions of political freedom and looked at how reactions to this shift inform modern conservative and liberal values. Along the way, we did a bunch of other stuff, too, and hopefully gained a deeper appreciation of why we value freedom and of the philosophical positions underlying contemporary debates. Access photos & more here!

Philosophy Workshop: “Ways of Knowing”

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 applied some traditional tools, along with our own careful analytic skill, to see what we could salvage from both intuitions. We identified, as best we can, what each intuition gets right, as well as how they fit together in a coherent way. Critically, we learned to appreciate the difference between knowing, as an activity that we do, and knowledge, as a thing that we have. Access resources here!

Greater Helena Gives 2023 Donors Raise $3,550 for Philosophy in the Community!

Thank you to everyone who so generously donated to Merlin during Greater Helena Gives 2023. Because of you we were able to surpass our goal of $3k….raising $3,550 for our philosophy in the community programs!

Philosophy Workshop: Ethics in the Field — A Combat Perspective

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.