Denver Stoics

The idea that things not up to us are preferred or rejected, but ultimately indifferent, is a key Stoic doctrine but a counterintuitive and contentious one. The Stoics have struggled to explain "indifference", and been attacked over it, since ancient times. So what does Stoic indifference actually mean (it's not the plain English interpretation), and why do they insist upon it? In this meetup, we'll discuss the significance and applications of this odd but powerful concept.

No preparation is required, just come ready to share your thoughts.

This is a community of inquiry. Philosophy is the academic study of knowledge, existence, beauty, and ethics. We are not focused on Stoic practice but on speculative inquiry. Speculative questions are questions regarding things that can be resolved just by talking about them only referencing experiences that are common to the vast majority of human beings.

Please come with a discussion question to suggest. If you are having trouble putting your ideas into words, we can help you narrow down what exactly you are trying to ask and guide you toward a well-phrased discussion question. We will pick the discussion question(s) from among the questions proposed.

Please be prepared to make a small purchase at the coffee shop, so we justify our use of their space. Consider this the cost of admission.

If you have questions about this event or Denver Stoics, please send me a message here on Meetup.
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Appendix

Ground Rules for Discussion

Preamble
To create an environment that best facilitates a high-quality dialectical discussion the following ground rules shall apply to all attendees.

1. Mutual Respect
Every attendee should behave in a manner that is respectful of others. This is a fundamental principle. Any violation of these rules committed based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability shall be grounds for an immediate and permanent ban.

2. On-topic Discussion - No Politics, No Psychology, No Religion
Discussions should remain on-topic to philosophy and to the discussion question. Anything that is more about philosophy than anything else is on-topic to philosophy. Anything plausibly useful to address the current question is on-topic to the discussion question. Occasional tangents can still be on-topic, but only if they are brief and limited in number. Every attendee shall not intentionally cause the discussion to be off-topic.

3. Attentive Listening
Every attendee should listen attentively and seek to understand fellow attendees. No attendee shall intentionally interfere with another attendee's comments with frequent and irrelevant interruptions.

4. Right to Pass/Right to Participate
Every attendee has the right to pass on any activity. Every attendee has the right to participate in every activity. No attendee shall intentionally disrespect another attendee's right to pass or right to participate.

5. No Put Downs
No attendee should put down, diminish, or degrade any other attendee at any meeting or outside of any meeting. Every attendee shall not intentionally make comments to another attendee that put down, diminish, or degrade that attendee.

6. No Cross-talk
Meetings should consist of a single discussion/conversation. Attendees should not have multiple separate conversations. Every attendee shall not with intent repeatedly or grossly cause there to be multiple ongoing conversations.

7. No Monologues
No attendee (or any subset of attendees) should speak for an unreasonable length of time that causes others to have a more limited opportunity to contribute. Any attendee who intentionally continues speaking against the Facilitator's verbal request for them to stop commits a violation.

8. Limits on Jargon/Name-dropping/Media References
No attendee should use jargon or refer to any person/school of thought/book/film/etc. without either a) the attendee knowing all other attendees are familiar or b) the attendee explaining who/what the attendee is talking about and why they/it are relevant to the point the attendee is trying to make. No attendee shall intentionally use language that they know another attendee does not understand to baffle, confuse, or frustrate the conversation.

9. Discipline
The Facilitator may enforce intentional violations through gentle verbal correction, direct verbal correction, expelling an attendee from a meeting, temporary ban from Denver Stoics, conditional ban from Denver Stoics, permanent ban from Denver Stoics, or any combination thereof. The Facilitator shall use the least restrictive means of regaining compliance with the rules. Discipline decisions of the Facilitator are final.

This is a community of inquiry. Philosophy is the academic study of knowledge, existence, beauty, and ethics. We are not focused on Stoic practice but on speculative inquiry. Speculative questions are questions regarding things that can be resolved just by talking about them only referencing experiences that are common to the vast majority of human beings.

Please come with a discussion question to suggest. If you are having trouble putting your ideas into words, we can help you narrow down what exactly you are trying to ask and guide you toward a well-phrased discussion question. We will pick the discussion question(s) from among the questions proposed.

Please be prepared to make a small purchase at the coffee shop, so we justify our use of their space. Consider this the cost of admission.

If you have questions about this event or Denver Stoics, please send me a message here on Meetup.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix

Ground Rules for Discussion

Preamble
To create an environment that best facilitates a high-quality dialectical discussion the following ground rules shall apply to all attendees.

1. Mutual Respect
Every attendee should behave in a manner that is respectful of others. This is a fundamental principle. Any violation of these rules committed based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability shall be grounds for an immediate and permanent ban.

2. On-topic Discussion - No Politics, No Psychology, No Religion
Discussions should remain on-topic to philosophy and to the discussion question. Anything that is more about philosophy than anything else is on-topic to philosophy. Anything plausibly useful to address the current question is on-topic to the discussion question. Occasional tangents can still be on-topic, but only if they are brief and limited in number. Every attendee shall not intentionally cause the discussion to be off-topic.

3. Attentive Listening
Every attendee should listen attentively and seek to understand fellow attendees. No attendee shall intentionally interfere with another attendee's comments with frequent and irrelevant interruptions.

4. Right to Pass/Right to Participate
Every attendee has the right to pass on any activity. Every attendee has the right to participate in every activity. No attendee shall intentionally disrespect another attendee's right to pass or right to participate.

5. No Put Downs
No attendee should put down, diminish, or degrade any other attendee at any meeting or outside of any meeting. Every attendee shall not intentionally make comments to another attendee that put down, diminish, or degrade that attendee.

6. No Cross-talk
Meetings should consist of a single discussion/conversation. Attendees should not have multiple separate conversations. Every attendee shall not with intent repeatedly or grossly cause there to be multiple ongoing conversations.

7. No Monologues
No attendee (or any subset of attendees) should speak for an unreasonable length of time that causes others to have a more limited opportunity to contribute. Any attendee who intentionally continues speaking against the Facilitator's verbal request for them to stop commits a violation.

8. Limits on Jargon/Name-dropping/Media References
No attendee should use jargon or refer to any person/school of thought/book/film/etc. without either a) the attendee knowing all other attendees are familiar or b) the attendee explaining who/what the attendee is talking about and why they/it are relevant to the point the attendee is trying to make. No attendee shall intentionally use language that they know another attendee does not understand to baffle, confuse, or frustrate the conversation.

9. Discipline
The Facilitator may enforce intentional violations through gentle verbal correction, direct verbal correction, expelling an attendee from a meeting, temporary ban from Denver Stoics, conditional ban from Denver Stoics, permanent ban from Denver Stoics, or any combination thereof. The Facilitator shall use the least restrictive means of regaining compliance with the rules. Discipline decisions of the Facilitator are final.