What we’re about
Welcome to the San Francisco Philosophy Reading Group! We are a group of amateur, interested philosophers who get together to read and discuss classic works of philosophy.
Our group will focus on a different reading every 2 weeks, and then meet up in person to discuss the reading in a friendly and casual setting. We welcome readers of all levels and philosophical inclinations, as long as you are willing to engage with the reading and discussion in a friendly, open manner.
For this session, we'll read and discuss René Descartes' Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. These works explore foundational questions in epistemology, metaphysics, and the nature of human knowledge, providing a detailed account of how individuals can achieve certainty and understanding through rational inquiry.
Questions discussed in these works include: What is the foundation of true knowledge? How can individuals distinguish between reality and illusion? What role does doubt play in philosophical investigation? Descartes' exploration of philosophy emphasizes the method of radical skepticism, the search for indubitable truths, and the role of reason in shaping our understanding of existence, including his famous cogito, ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am").
You can use any translation or version of the text you like (I'll be using the Cress translation here). A free translation is available on Project Gutenberg here
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Descartes: How Can We Know Anything for Certain?Casements Bar, San Francisco , CA
For this session, we'll read and discuss René Descartes' Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. These works explore foundational questions in epistemology, metaphysics, and the nature of human knowledge, providing a detailed account of how individuals can achieve certainty and understanding through rational inquiry.
Questions discussed in these works include: What is the foundation of true knowledge? How can individuals distinguish between reality and illusion? What role does doubt play in philosophical investigation? Descartes' exploration of philosophy emphasizes the method of radical skepticism, the search for indubitable truths, and the role of reason in shaping our understanding of existence, including his famous cogito, ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am").
You can use any translation or version of the text you like (I'll be using the Cress translation here). A free translation is available on Project Gutenberg here
- David Hume: Empiricism and Human UnderstandingCasements Bar, San Francisco , CA
For this session, we'll read and discuss David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. This text presents an Empricist view of human knowledge (in contrast to the Rationalist view presented by Descartes), and argues that the only way we can come to know things is through experience. He also critiques the notion of causal inference through reason, and proposes a model of causal inference developed through habit and custom.
Enquiry is a fairly short text (only ~100 pages), but we'll focus our discussion on sections 1-8. You should feel free to read further and bring up topics from other sections if you find them interesting.
Since Hume wrote in English, you should feel free to use any edition of the text that you like (I'm using the Hackett edition). The text is also available for free on Project Gutenberg:
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Note: While the Descartes reading is not required for this session, it might be helpful to provide context for Hume's critique of Rationalism. You can also refer to the Stanford Encyclopedia Page on Rationalism vs. Empiricism
Ground Rules:
- All levels are welcome! Our discussion will not assume that you are familiar with Hume's other works, or with the writings of other philosophers.
- Please complete the reading ahead of the discussion section. We will start the discussion assuming everyone has finished the reading and had some time to think about it.
- We will focus on the reading for the first hour of the discussion. If you want to discuss other works or topics, please feel free to hang out and do so afterwards
- Please show up on time for the discussion.
- Be respectful, open, and curious!
