An informal philosophy group with discussions focused on readings selected by participating members.

NOTICE: October 2012: This group has relocated from New York to San Francisco. Prior meetings were held in NY but future meetings are being held now in SF. **** The purpose of this group is to read a philosophical text and then have some great, engaging, thought-provoking discussion about it in an appropriate public or private venue. Please also check out our sister group: SF Film & Philosophy, where we watch and discuss films in light of a text: http://www.meetup.com/cinephile/ **** "To philoso …

Poetry, short stories, plays, novels, history, philosophy, science, not necessarily in that order, classics that are worthy of discussion, current and past, western and non-western, these are the works we discuss. The discussion is what is most important. We discuss these works to enlarge our understanding of the ideas that shape our culture and gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be human.

Meet other local fans of author Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism -- a philosophy of Reason, Purpose and Self-Esteem that holds human life on this Earth as the standard of all values and *your* life as an end in itself.

The purpose of this meet-up group is to take a step out of the modern world, our modern stresses and to get out in nature's finest. This could be backpacking, hiking, camping, and the occasional happy hours as well as other various random activities we can come up with. This is low pressure discussion based group, meaning the intent is chill and easy going, collaborative and will grow organically. Discussion topics could include anything of interest (from philosophy, literature, to the cosmos an …

Poetry, short stories, plays, novels, history, philosophy, science, not necessarily in that order, classics that are worthy of discussion, current and past, western and non-western, these are the works we discuss. The discussion is what is most important. We discuss these works to enlarge our understanding of the ideas that shape our culture and gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be human.

We gather together to socialize and discuss the world of ideas, especially: psychology, neuroscience, Zen Buddhism, eastern thought, philosophy, mythology, religion, anthropology, sociology, history, the arts and humanities. Most of our events are "pot luck lectures"—gatherings where we are all welcome to bring ideas from books, articles, media programs, and other sources we've come across that relate to the topic of the day. While the topics are decidedly "intellectual" we also socialize and pr …

This group is an experiment, and partly a selfish one. I just finished grad school, moved out to the city, and finally have had some time to really explore what it is that I want out of life. And, shit! This stuff can be *difficult* to grapple with. For example, how do we achieve true happiness? What does "success" mean? What are the implications of mortality on daily life? Can we care more about the rest of the world than we currently do? Where the *hell* is Waldo? If you're in your twenties …

The Honorable Order of American Co-Masonry is a fraternity including men and women of every race, nationality and religion. Wishing to do away with all cause for division and strife, it continually seeks the means which to help all human beings to unite and work together for the perfection of Humanity. This discussion group meets monthly to discuss subjects important to humanity. From philosophy and religion to science, history and politics, this group ponders any subject which helps us to bett …

Poetry, short stories, plays, novels, history, philosophy, science, not necessarily in that order, classics that are worthy of discussion, current and past, western and non-western, these are the works we discuss. The discussion is what is most important. We discuss these works to enlarge our understanding of the ideas that shape our culture and gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be human.

Poetry, short stories, plays, novels, history, philosophy, science, not necessarily in that order, classics that are worthy of discussion, current and past, western and non-western, these are the works we discuss. The discussion is what is most important. We discuss these works to enlarge our understanding of the ideas that shape our culture and gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be human.

An informal conversational venue for those with an interest in Lacan that wish to be introduced to basic terms as well as those wishing to get a better grasp on Lacan through a variety of different disciplines. This meet up offers some structure in reviewing the actual writings of Lacan in order to ground these concepts in Lacan's project; a return to the Freudian nconscious. There is room to play with contemporary translations of Lacan to deal with our current political issues through Zizek and …

The philosophical café movement began in Paris and has spread rapidly throughout Europe. Its purpose is to create an ongoing public solon in a friendly place where people can gather to carry on relaxed conversation and discuss important ideas. Topics for discussion will be chosen by the participants with a moderator present to direct traffic and insure that all present have an opportunity to take part in the dialogue. For the time being your moderators will be Sam Keen –a freelance philosopher—a …

This group is to interest and introduce you to Breema's philosophy and practice. Breema® is a simple, natural form of touch and body movement supported by universal principles. The aim of Breema is to bring us to a tangible experience of presence that becomes our foundation for a new dimension of health, consciousness, and self-understanding. Breema provides a unique approach to experiencing body-mind connection. It offers a profound understanding of the underlying unity of all life that is expr …

Welcome to Morehouse (Operated More University 1977-1997) "Fun is the goal; love is the way."  —Victor Baranco Inspired by its founder, Dr. Victor Baranco, and now by his widow, Dr. Cynthia Baranco, Morehouse has been a successful group living experiment for over 40 years. The cornerstone of our philosophy and life-style is the concept of perfection. Our working premise is that people and situations are right the way they are and include the potential for change. Our research, started by Vic B …

The Bay Area Open Sangha exists to allow people to practice and study the Buddhadharma, the teachings of the Buddha, without concern for sectarianism or the historical lines between traditions of Buddhism. This is not to say that these lines are ignored and traditions are mixed without reflection or regard to their conflicts. The Buddha taught many ways to practice the Dharma and his teachings have come down over two and half thousand years to this day. Many of the differences in doctrine and pr …

Does 19th-century French philosopher, Henri Bergson, haunt your dreams? If he were still alive (and ambulatory) would you be stalking him? If yes to either, check into a mental health facility immediately, or check out our group. Bergson rated immediate experience and intuition above rationalism and quantitative science. For this he won the Nobel Prize in 1924. Bergson was first and foremost a philosopher of Time and viewed time (motion) as something inherent to matter, not something added to it …

Welcome to San Francisco I Liq Chuan practice group. The training is intended for students of all levels interested in learning the art. I Liq Chuan, martial art of awareness, is an art of cultivating consciousness based on Tai Chi and Zen principles, in other words the practice of moving meditation. The philosophy underlying I Liq Chuan involves the very simple concept of making an active choice to be fully aware of the present moment, by being aware of the sounds around you, your breathing, yo …

Do you want to feel good and improve the quality of your life, meeting likeminded people in the process? Do you enjoy reading books about Mind, Body and Spirit? Would you like to empower yourself with a proven, practical approach to life? Whether you're a beginner or have more experience with the Law of Attraction philosophy, the Law of Attraction Centre is perfect for you. The Law of Attraction Centre, first established in London, UK in 2003, is the largest and most talked about Law of Attracti …

"Philanthrocapitalists see their donations as a means to creating a profitable solution to a social problem, attracting far more capital, far faster, and thus achieving a far bigger impact, far sooner, than would a solution based entirely on merely giving money away." (Bishop & Green, 2009) This is the underlying philosophy behind FOREXthropy; a mastermind group of FOREX traders who are passionate about high-impact, transformative philanthropy. At present we are looking to expand the group to in …

These are not your typical software engineering events.  BASE is focused on emerging technologies and creating events around topics that have never been attempted.  Events may be around such topics as Big Data, Machine Learning, Robotics, Nanotechnology, 3D Printing, Synthetic Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Computer History, Computer Vision, Augmented Reality (AR), and using software to create art. BASE creates events only possible in San Francisco and the Bay area with experts from all walks …

Meet other intellectually oriented gay men for spirited and intelligent discussion of current events, history, philosophy, politics, social trends, pop culture, etc.

Semantic Garage is at the cutting edge of semantic and natural language processing. It's where new web companies in the semantic space can showcase live demos and where open discussion and debate about the future and philosophy of semantic technologies emerge.

If you are interested in establishing an active Humanist organization in San Francisco and the East Bay, please join this Meetup.  As meetings and events are organized, you will be invited.  We envision discussions, speakers, social activities and events to work for a better world.  For those who may not be familiar with humanism, below is the Humanist Manifesto III, which describes what many Humanists believe. HUMANISM AND ITS ASPIRATIONS Humanist Manifesto II Humanism is a progressive philosop …

My name is Mary Liu and I am the Organizer of this Meetup and I welcome you to the Premier Women's Business Network.  I, like yourself, am an entrepreneur and have been for the past 28 years so I know the challenges of trying to balance it all.  From a business, to your children, your husband or partner and everything else in between. I own several businesses including Empowered Women Speakers, a visibility consulting firm that provides resources for speakers, coaches, trainers, and entrepreneu …

If you are a punjabi and are tired of going to south bay to be part of all the punjabi activities and to meet all the fun people, then you need to join this group. Let's have our own fun community in the city. I would like this group to be SF+punjabi at heart but global in vision. Let's make the group inclusive. If you know of friends who are genuinely interested in our culture, invite them to join the group and also join our activities.

This is a group for anyone interested in talking about agape love (unconditional, pure, intense, universal love). Some discussions might involve the link between agape love and God, the tie between feeling love and being happy, the wisdom of different religions and spiritual traditions, the role of prayer and meditation in spurring internal change, etc. The group is just meant to be a forum for like minded and spirited individuals to get together and talk about things that interest them.

Macro-Description ... This group presents an opportunity to experience -- rather than think.A cursory definition of meditation is transcendence beyond the distracted, entropic meanderings of the 'mind' -- and resultant connection to Consciousness / Infinite Connectedness / One-ness. Restatement of the obvious - water represents the fathoms of our spiritual nature. Meditation is supported by the energetic fabric and rhythm of a body of water ... especially one as large and consummate as the Pacif …