UNSW Philosophy Society

Hey Philosophers! We're doing a poll for when to run roundtables in the upcoming term, if as many of you can fill it out ASAP that would be great. We'll be looking at the time with the most overlap to run our events during weekdays with start times ranging from 4-6PM. Feel free to fill out the form here should only take 2 minutes at most!

Term 3 Roundtable Day and Time Preferences Hey Philosophers! We've tried a few different formats for presenting roundtables this year, and for term 3 we thought we might throw the ball to you guys and poll what days and times have the best overlap during each of them! As roundtables generally are held in the afternoon to open up the opportun...

Thank you everyone who came to our pubcrawl this past Friday! It was a smashing success very mindful very demure. Be sure to send us any videos or photos you took during the night!

Tickets to our pubcrawl this Friday at 5:30PM close tonight at midnight! Make sure you grab your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/uX8eo and hit going here: https://www.facebook.com/share/z6BJpsEDrpzizuRi/ Tickets once more are $10

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All our stops for our cross society brat pubcrawl!! Tickets $10 link in bio be there or be square!

Hey Philosophers! Less than 10 hours remain on our FODI ticket giveaway, please make sure to fill out this form there are 7 double passes to be won so everyone has a pretty good chance to win! Form closes at midnight:

UNSW PhilSoc | Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2024 - Youth Ticket Competition Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) has returned to Carriageworks in 2024 and we’ve got a huge program lined up, so dive in and take a look! This year we have 7 double passes to give away to UNSW PhilSoc. Each pass entitles the holder and a friend to two sessions from the following: Lifting the Cur...

Hey Philosophers! Assuming by now you've all seen our Brat Pubcrawl, we'll be running a best dressed competition on the day and PhiSoc better be representing themselves in the running! First prize gets a bona fide Charli XCX brat cd (for the aesthetic ofc) and runner ups will get a bunch of society merch across the board of all 7 societies so get excited!

Attached is some inspo for outfits :)

It’s time to hit those ✨ club classics ✨ with us at our 💚 BRAT PUBCRAWL 💚 this AUG 23rd!!!!!!

Join a bunch of societies (7 of them) on the Friday night after exams end for a night of drinks (cocktails AND jugs)🍸, good music 🎵, BRAT fits 🕶️ and the night of your life 🌃. For $10, you get free drinks, discounts on house drinks, and free expedited entry to each of the venues.

The theme (obviously) is brat, so make sure you dress up in your best Y2K green/black/white themed outfits for the night. There will be a prize for best dressed- Charli XCX's titular album on cd (for the aesthetic of course). Runner ups will get some fun society merch so give it your all!

Societies involved: Philosophy Society, Education Society, Politics, Philosophy and Economics Society, Film Society, Skating Society, Drawing Society, and Neuroscience Society

what we’re doing 📍
⁃ 5:30pm: Wristbands handed out at the MCA
⁃ 6pm - 7pm: the Argyle
⁃ 7:30pm - 8:30pm: Sanctuary Hotel
⁃ 9pm - late : Scary Canary

tix info 🎟️
⁃ General Admission: $10 ENDS 20/08
⁃ Hit the link in bio for tickets!

important info ⚠️

Tickets are non-refundable and this event is strictly 18+. Please bring a valid ID for entry at each venue.

Hey Philosophers! our FODI ticket giveaway has finally been confirmed albeit in a fairly restricted manner. Festival of Dangerous Ideas have finally gotten back to us with 7 double passes with each pass entitling the winner of the giveaway to access 1 of 5 sessions at the festival. To get access to these passes, you have to fill out this form by FODI by the 11th of August here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7jrxbTeAnaYnLoapPcgHwuPSKGPoaSb9dlhKyirPZI7-FGw/viewform

Alongside this, reminder for our Blade Runner movie night this coming Thursday at 5PM at the CLB G02 please fill out any dietary requirements here for the night: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNtW_1P208t8GV56aqM4AEK0GW-Cnsx1X6MId79N7pk5O0Qg/viewform

Blade Runner 2049 Movie Night Attendance For food and attendance

What’s it like to hold the hand of someone you love? Interlinked. Do you long for having your heart interlinked? Interlinked. Do you feel that there’s a part of you that’s missing? Interlinked.

Return to your baseline and join UNSW Philosophy Society in Week 10 for a movie screening of Blade Runner 2049.There will be free pizza and drinks, and as such to get an idea of everyone’s dietary requirements please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/1GFct9fTHE9Yxqig6

Within Cells Interlinked, Within Cells Interlinked, Within Cells Interlinked.

Hey Philosophers! We've decided not to run a roundtable in Week 9, and instead will be running a casual chill movie night in Week 10, on August the 1st as a short break from all the study we're all catching up on.

We'll be watching Blade Runner 2049 at 5PM in Patricia O'Shane G02 on August 1st. There shall be free pizza and drinks so you'll all be well accomodated! For dietary requirements/attendance please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/1GFct9fTHE9Yxqig6

And for more details check out our FB event page and make sure to hit going! https://www.facebook.com/share/h1qZEGjWpdg4tvD4/

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Reminder of our talk with Professor Peter Slezak this Wednesday! Check out discord to vote on what movie we'll be watching in Week 10 as well :D

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Have you ever thought about what defines your existence? Is it the intricate network of neurons in your brain, or an intangible essence or soul that makes you who you are? If you ever have, then join UNSW’s own philosophy society and neuroscience society for an intellectually stimulating talk by Honorary Associate Professor Dr Peter Slezak on the topic of Dualism!
In reference to his most recent book, “Spectator in the Cartesian Theater”, Slezak will talk about misconceptions made about Descartes’ theories on consciousness and dualism in the past few decades, and provide arguments against such thought experiments like the “Cartesian Theatre”, or the “Chinese Room”.
Don’t miss this chance to delve into the depths of human consciousness and explore the intersections of philosophy and cognitive science. Peter Slezak’s insights promise to challenge and expand your understanding of the mind and its complexities. We hope to see you there!
Don’t worry if you’re new to philosophy - all you need is yourself and an open mind.

🗓️ DATE: 17/07/2024
🕕TIME: 4PM-6PM
📍LOCATION: Patricia O’Shane G06
💸PRICE: Free

Have you ever thought about what defines your existence? Is it the intricate network of neurons in your brain, or an intangible essence or soul that makes you who you are? If you ever have, then join UNSW’s own philosophy society and neuroscience society for an intellectually stimulating talk by Honorary Associate Professor Dr Peter Slezak on the topic of Dualism!
In reference to his most recent book, “Spectator in the Cartesian Theater”, Slezak will talk about misconceptions made about Descartes’ theories on consciousness and dualism in the past few decades, and provide arguments against such thought experiments like the “Cartesian Theatre”, or the “Chinese Room”.
Don’t miss this chance to delve into the depths of human consciousness and explore the intersections of philosophy and cognitive science. Peter Slezak’s insights promise to challenge and expand your understanding of the mind and its complexities. We hope to see you there!
Don’t worry if you’re new to philosophy - all you need is yourself and an open mind.
🗓️ DATE: 17/07/2024
🕕TIME: 4PM-6PM
📍LOCATION: Patricia O’Shane G06
💸PRICE: Free

Hey Philosophers,

Welcome back from Flex Week hope you all enjoyed your break!!! We're once more going full steam ahead with our momentum and are happy to announce that this Wednesday's roundtable will be going ahead AND we've formed a new collab event with the newly reformed UNSW Neuroscience Society.

This Wednesday's Roundtable is on Distributive Justice, it will be held at the usual Matthews 228 at 5:30PM with our focus this week being on Karl Marx and Ayn Rand. A bit tongue in cheek, we'll be dismantling and discussing much of the arguments proposed by both figures. The readings have been posted to FB already and will be posted to Discord and emailed as well. More details can be found on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/share/gYtojrh2xeiUuFQg/

New Collab Event with NeuroSoc and Dr Peter Slezak next Wednesday 4PM at CLB G06!! We'll be hosting Dr Slezak alongside the newly reformed Neuroscience Society as he discusses Dualism and cognitive science. This is a great opportunity to learn from an esteemed australian scholar and we are excited to see you all there! More details can be found here as well: https://www.facebook.com/share/afKTTeyxdsyuBbYj/

Hope you've all been enjoying our events so far!

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!! Roundtable Readings for this Wednesday Scroll for Links !!

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels critique redistributive justice within the capitalist system, viewing it as insufficient to address the root causes of inequality. They argue that true justice requires the abolition of capitalism and the establishment of a classless society where the means of production are communally owned. In "The Communist Manifesto," they emphasize that wealth redistribution within capitalism perpetuates exploitation and fails to eliminate class structures. Instead, they advocate for a revolutionary transformation of society, ensuring that wealth and resources are distributed based on need and contribution, ultimately leading to a more equitable and just society.

Readings: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-philosophy-supplementary-volume/article/abs/marx-and-engels-on-the-distributive-justice-of-capitalism/F70418A63BD77C31228E175CD4AFEE77

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369911089_Marx_on_Distributive_Justice_From_Each_According_to_His_Ability_to_Each_According_to_His_Needs

Note: For these readings you will have to make sure you are logged in to the unsw library to access.

Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand's views on redistributive justice, articulated in "Atlas Shrugged," particularly through John Galt's speech, oppose any form of forced wealth redistribution. Rand argues that redistributive policies violate individual rights to life, liberty, and property. She contends that wealth should be earned based on merit and productivity, not distributed based on need or entitlement. Rand asserts that such policies undermine the moral value of productive work and individual achievement, leading to societal decay and loss of personal freedom. Her philosophy of Objectivism promotes laissez-faire capitalism as the only moral social system.

Please Navigate to Part 3 – Chapter 7 “This is John Galt Speaking”:https://antilogicalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/atlas-shrugged.pdf

Hey Philosophers! Reminder that our Skatemas collab is happening tonight at 6PM at Ice Zoo! Tickets are still available here on the FFB event page! See you all there!
https://www.facebook.com/share/2UVnVPrLowHYSuzq/

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Hey everyone! Come down to Matthews 228 in 30 minutes for our Roundtable on Locke and Rawls!!

Hey Philosophers! We have an awesome opportunity for all of you- free tickets to Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Before we get these tickets however they'd like to know how many people are even interested in attending the event itself with us before they allocate us anything. As such, if you'd like to attend FODI with Phi-Soc please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/WqmQ4bK56Kgq6pwZ9

There is a short introduction to FODI in the form but they have hosted speakers ranging from Slavoj Zizek and Steven Pinker to Julian Assange himself. Their roster for this year comes out in a few days so we'll keep you posted on that as well- for more info check out their website!

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Come down to Law Building 162 in 40 minutes for our pride event! We'll be exploring some q***r philosophy and doing a deep dive on some q***r philosophers!

https://www.facebook.com/share/ouTJLNr2ux45GQaA/

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Hey Philosophers! Excited to announce our 3rd Roundtable for the Term which will be running as usual on the Wednesday of Week 5 in Matthews 228 from 5:30 to 7 PM! This time we'll be doing a deep dive into the theories of John Locke and John Rawles and discussion the push and pull between individual liberty and collective justice. Join us as we explore this and more. As usual, we will be emailing out and posting the reference readings for the roundtable on discord, if you cannot access those feel free to DM us and we'll sort something out.

More details available here: https://www.facebook.com/share/XoqGxd9oBJCW83Tw/

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Hey Philosophers! Excited to announce a WORKSHOP, that's right, a WORKSHOP we're hosting next Wednesday for Pride Month. In this new event type we'll be exploring q***r philosophers and their impact on academia and our understanding of concepts of power, identity, and society itself. Our intentions in this event is to be primarily educational and interactive, to be clear it is not a roundtable like our usual events so we hope to see you all there and look forward to hearing some feedback for our new initiative!

===== Details =====
DATE: 19/06/2024
TIME: 4PM-6PM
LOCATION: Law Building 162
PRICE: Free!
==== Phi-Soc ====
https://discord.gg/aPP2vbDBYP

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Hey Philosophers! In lieau of our roundtable next Wednesday, we've emailed and posted the documents to discord, feel free to check em out there. We'll be looking at Tocqueville and Plato next Wednesday, here is a summary of each reading to give everyone a general idea:

Tocqueville discusses the potential dangers inherent in a democracy where the majority holds unchecked power. He argues that this can lead to a "tyranny of the majority," where the majority's interests may oppress minority groups. This unchecked power can stifle dissent, limit individual freedoms, and lead to the erosion of moral and intellectual standards as the majority imposes its will. Tocqueville warns that such a system, without adequate checks and balances, can undermine the principles of liberty and equality that democracy seeks to uphold. We actually have a link to his text, which has been checked through Virus Total: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/de-tocqueville/democracy-america/ch15.htm

Socrates on the other hand criticizes democracy by arguing that it prioritizes freedom over order and expertise. He contends that democracy allows unqualified individuals to make important decisions, leading to poor governance. Socrates believes that the emphasis on equality and freedom in a democracy can result in disorder and the erosion of respect for authority. He also argues that democratic societies tend to elevate leaders who pander to the masses rather than those who are genuinely wise and knowledgeable. Ultimately, Socrates views democracy as a flawed system that can devolve into tyranny due to its inherent lack of discipline and structure.

Make sure you hit going on our event: https://www.facebook.com/share/U2EFEqTyJ4qu1rkr/

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Hello philosophers! Thank you everyone who came to our roundtable yesterday I hear it was a blast! In our ever appreciation of each of you, here are TWO MORE events to keep you all busy in the next two weeks.

Next Thursday at 2:30PM we'll be hosting a speedfriending session at the quadrangle lawn with a philosophical twist. Skip all the small talk and jump right into the good stuff with the prompt questions and scenarios we've prepared for each of you. This is a great opportunity to make some friends and get to know the people you've met around our events so far! More info here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v4qXcFt4svfNrCvm/

And then as promised, Wednesday 5:30PM Week 3 we have our next roundtable of the term. This will be a cathartic one as we'll be spending an hour and a half bashing democracy! Join us at Matthews 228 for an exploration of Democracy and its Limitations through the lens of Socrates and Alexis de Tocqueville. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/share/RVo515sUebeFYk8z/

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Hey Philosophers! We're running a little behind schedule right now sorry, please bear with us but in the meantime for any stragglers or wanderers here are some directions to Matthews 288 for our Roundtable tonight!

We've posted the readings in the roundtable announcements channel on Discord! Can't attach pdfs on facebook it seems unfortunately. The two readings are Frantz Fanon's 'Wretched of the Earth' and Thomas Hobbes' 'Leviathan'.

Fanon advocates for violent revolution as a means of overthrowing colonial rule and achieving liberation. He argues that colonialism dehumanizes the oppressed, creating deep psychological and social scars. Fanon believes that violence is a necessary tool for the colonized to reclaim their identity and humanity, as it disrupts the existing power structures and empowers the oppressed. He emphasizes that through rebellion, colonized people can unite, overcome their inferiority complex, and build a new society based on equality and justice.

Hobbes argues that a strong, centralized authority is essential to prevent society from descending into chaos and violence, which he describes as the "state of nature." He posits that individuals consent to surrender certain freedoms to a sovereign power in exchange for security and order. Hobbes vehemently opposes rebellion, asserting that it undermines the social contract and leads to anarchy. He contends that even an oppressive ruler is preferable to the disorder that rebellion brings, as the sovereign's absolute power is necessary to maintain peace and prevent the return to the brutish state of nature.

Hey Philosophers! Welcome back to Term 2, we've been cooking up a whole menu's worth of events which we'll be rolling out *weekly* throughout the term. Roundtables will be held in Matthews 228 every odd week during the Term at 5:30 PM as can be seen in the term event overview I've attached below.

With this, we're excited to announce the first roundtable of the term: The Ethics of Political Violence. Is revolution the right of the people when a regime violates human rights or the social contract? Or are revolutions only another pathway for further injustice and chaos? Don’t worry if you’re new to philosophy - all you need is yourself and an open mind. We'll be including two papers to help contextualise the discussion as well as be giving a short presentation on the day to ensure everybody is on the same page.

===== Details =====
DATE: 29/05/2024
TIME: 5:30PM - 7PM
LOCATION: Matthews 228
PRICE: Free!
Hit Going!: https://www.facebook.com/share/RS61x4n5G2feZJ1K/

Hey philosophers! We're all set up now in room 203 of the law building, feel free to come down now. The room is two flights of stairs up the building right above the library area. Once you get to this floor...

Hey everyone! This is an announcement that we'll be closing subcom applications next Monday at midnight and start reaching out to all our applicants for interviews and such (Thank you applicants for your patience).

If you're interested in joining our subcom, of which there is no reason you shouldn't be- theyre awesome- feel free to fill out our subcom application form here: https://forms.gle/sPippfx9fbzGov5Y6

We have Roundtable, Marketing, Events and Production subcoms up for grabs check out the link above for further details :)

Google Forms: Sign-in Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

Hey Philosophers,

After nearly 24 hours since the EGM concluded last night, the Returning Officers formally announced the results over a discord ‘stage’ call. We summarise the outcomes here for your benefit:

Administrative Matters:

Motion to amend the constitution: PASSED with ~ 98% in favour;
Motion to terminate the membership of Katya Valentine: PASSED with ~53% in favour;
Motion to dismiss the Secretary: FAILED with ~56% against;
Motion to dismiss the Vice President: FAILED with ~56% against;
Motion to dismiss the President: FAILED with ~56% against.

Elections:

Mark Chen elected as Treasurer with ~54% of the votes;
Katherine Guo elected as EDI Officer with ~60% of the votes;
Taimoor Mansoor elected as Marketing Director with ~54% of the votes;
Katherine Guo elected as Events Co-Director with ~53% of the votes;
Harry Ross elected as Productions Director with ~53% of the votes;
Gianni Keramitzis elected as Roundtable Director with ~53% of the votes;
Carlie Gavin elected as Women’s Officer with ~54% of the votes;
Jonathan Hamonangan elected as Cultural Diversity Officer with ~50% of the votes.

We advise that the total amount of valid votes counted were: 221 votes.

We’d like to thank our impressive Returning Officers - Jasper, Peter and Alan - for their diligence and commitment to ensuring the integrity of the EGM. We’d also like to thank all of our members who attended the EGM yesterday for taking time out of their weekend to join us for this important occasion. Huge huge thank you to all our nominees, elected or not. We look forward to working with our new executive team!

Despite the recent friction and turbulence, we’re confident that we’ll be able to continue the strong momentum we have enjoyed with the help of our newly elected executives and any members who wish to assist us as part of our sub-committees (link to apply below!).

Now that everything is over, we’ll be going full steam ahead with the regular motions of the society, stay tuned or updates on our next event- the academic paper discussion on Thomas Nagel’s ‘What Is It Like To Be A Bat?’. Expect further updates end of Week 7 on this as we roll in the new administration.

We’d also like to note that while the results are out and the EGM is over, Arc retains the right to make a final determination on the validity of the EGM. In the coming days, we’ll be submitting all relevant documents to Arc and will inform you should there be any issues with the process. At this stage however, we have no reason to believe the EGM will not be approved.

Thanks again! If the recent events have piqued your interest regarding how the society is run, please consider applying for our subcommittee! The link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnUsEih1AYvDtxDzJ_K2kfc3w2K_ZilX02yIS_F08iQLfgwA/viewform

Yours,
The Executive