386:26 cosmoiswa...
I'm going to start a discussion group
387:05 cosmoiswa...
where each week, the participants will vote on what topic in philosophy, literature, or general culture to discuss
387:13 cosmoiswa...
I'll assign watching and reading materials
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and after a week of where participants can read up on the topic and the associated concepts
387:49 cosmoiswa...
I'll open a chat room for discussion and furthered exploration
Pretty much any topic is up to be debated, things such as specific religions (Buddhism), economics systems (communism), philosophy (stoicism), literature (specific authors or concepts or schools of thought), specific foods, history, anything that lends itself to interesting discourse is up for grabs.
At the end of each week, I'll archive the materials, and the chat room logs for review.
Also, don't feel limited to concepts! Anything can be discussed, such as what makes a compelling argument, or rhetoric, or what makes a good liar. Even broad concepts such as what is good or bad?
It could be a book club for certain weeks, but it'll be limited to how fast everybody can read. Preferred reading speed would be a 500 page book in under a week with a good amount of retention. Of course, participants could fortify this with sparks notes esque overviews for assistance in the discussions if they don't feel comfortable with their ability to digest literature quickly.
Building on this, I think it would be fascinating to explore how different regions and their respective cultures adopt ideas and how the "original" (original being used very loosely) idea is changed and synthesized into their systems of knowledge/living.
A thought: I think an interesting topic to visit and revisit, as this series starts and continues, is the notion of borrowed or inherited ideas throughout the world.
An example might be the concept of selflessness that is ubiquitous in many religions, and how we might trace the origins of this concept. If it arose spontaneously across the world, or brought to new regions via wars or trade routes, how the ideas are adopted and changed for each religion if spread via war or trade, or an exploration of socioeconomic systems in disparate parts of the world at the given time and how shared circumstances may hold a role in the adoption and development of certain religions.
Also depending on how complex the topic or concept we are discussing is, for select ideas, the week long discussion may be extended an additional week or two for the sake of an (imaginary) sense of closure.
I fully expect the discussions to raise more questions than answers, and I'm completely okay with that. Such is the nature of genuine epistemology.
Also post topics you might like to discuss if interested!
Remember nothing is off the board, we could discuss sexuality (with a specific focus in mind, i.e. BDSM or genderfludity or in mediums such as film or literature) or anime (evolution of tropes or artwork or the medium in general). The world is your oyster! (to discuss!)
Poll
