Hong Kong Philosophy Cafe

08/09/2023

Very important message to all our members!
We migrated to a New facebook group, as this page become obsolete.
Here is the link:

Hi All, This is the QR code to join our new page. Please join in!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6834551586589131/

https://fb.me/e/39lq93UR7

Thank you for your kind cooperation!

07/09/2023

The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet on 12 September, 2023, at 8:00 PM. We will meet in person this month, and instead of Zoom we will try using Microsoft Teams! We will again meet at the new location, a bar called Sam Fancy.

We will have a discussion in September on climate change.

From the way people usually talk about climate change, one might think that it's a very simple issue. On the one hand (to listen to some), it's obvious by now that it's happening and that we need swift and decisive action to save ourselves from its dangerous effects! On the other hand (to listen to others), it's probably just a hoax perpetrated by big-government liberals! But is anything about climate change simple? The underlying science is probably too complicated for most of us unless we dedicate enormous amounts of time to studying it. Rational doubts about that science are possible, such as Dr. Judith Curry's arguments that we lack any good evidence that human activity is causing global warming. What to do about it is another complexity: Are regulations to cut back on carbon emissions worth the cost, and are they even the most effective way of reducing carbon emissions? What is the best means for achieving climate justice, and what is climate justice anyway?

Suggested reading/listening to prepare for the discussion: Any or all of:
--the Wikipedia intro, which will introduce the topic according to a pretty standard perspective, with numerous links to more information;
--Judith Curry's introduction to some of the grounds for doubt about climate models, or whatever seems interesting on her blog;
--and Bjorn Lomborg on a podcast appearance airing his concerns with how best to deal with climate change, or (along similar lines) this Dilbert cartoon mocking the use of climate change propaganda.

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 12 September, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Climate Change
Moderator: Jorn Boost or Jervina Lao
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join in person, go to Sam Fancy at The Plaza, 3/f & 4/f, 21 D'Aguilar St. in Central, HK Island! (Near Central Station, Exit D1 and D2.) (Google Maps location: https://goo.gl/maps/nQGZYxNtHUWKiffn7.)

To join in our experiment using Microsoft Teams, click here! (Text for copy-and-paste: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmVlNTYxZjAtOWE1MS00YjU2LWFhYjgtNDk2YzBlMDhkZjc1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cd0b1991-07be-440c-a592-69c07d3a9db4%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22749a6d40-9789-4937-bac5-a1df397be1ad%22%7d .)

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book

07/09/2023

Hello,
We will have a discussion in September on climate change.

From the way people usually talk about climate change, one might think that it's a very simple issue. On the one hand (to listen to some), it's obvious by now that it's happening and that we need swift and decisive action to save ourselves from its dangerous effects! On the other hand (to listen to others), it's probably just a hoax perpetrated by big-government liberals! But is anything about climate change simple? The underlying science is probably too complicated for most of us unless we dedicate enormous amounts of time to studying it. Rational doubts about that science are possible, such as Dr. Judith Curry's arguments that we lack any good evidence that human activity is causing global warming. What to do about it is another complexity: Are regulations to cut back on carbon emissions worth the cost, and are they even the most effective way of reducing carbon emissions? What is the best means for achieving climate justice, and what is climate justice anyway?

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 12 September, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Climate Change
Moderator: Jorn Boost or Jervina Lao
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join in person, go to Sam Fancy at The Plaza, 3/f & 4/f, 21 D'Aguilar St. in Central, HK Island! (Near Central Station, Exit D1 and D2.) To join in our experiment using Microsoft Teams (a software similar to zoom, but don't worry, no need to download apps, relevant hyperlink will be sent later).

11/07/2023

Reminder

The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet on 11 July, 2023, at 8:00 PM. We will again meet in person this month, and concurrently on Zoom! (We may split up the conversation into Zoomer and face-to-face groups halfway.) Please note that we are meeting in a different location in person this month--a bar called Sam Fancy.

We will have a discussion in July on the philosophy of charity.

The word "charity" used to be synonymous with love, which is how it was used in the King James Bible. Would it better to go back to the old way of speaking, or is it better now that we've narrowed the word "charity" down to things like philanthropy and almsgiving? And is charity morally obligatory, or does it go above and beyond what's morally required of us? Is charity condescending? And what's the best way to give charity? Does government aid instead of private charity cause unintended harm, as people like Thomas Sowell argue? And what is charity anyway?

Suggested reading to prepare for the discussion: Any or all of:
--this essay by Thomas Sowell,
--this introduction to Thomas Aquinas on the virtue of charity/love (Latin caritas), and
--this introduction to some issues involving charity in contemporary moral philosophy.

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 11 July, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Philosophy of Charity
Moderator: TBD
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join on Zoom, click here! (URL in text form: https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/99290147034.)

To join in person, go to Sam Fancy at The Plaza, 3/f & 4/f, 21 D'Aguilar St. in Central, HK Island! (Near Central Station, Exit D1 and D2.)

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book

07/07/2023

The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet on 11 July, 2023, at 8:00 PM. We will again meet in person this month, and concurrently on Zoom! (We may split up the conversation into Zoomer and face-to-face groups halfway.) Please note that we are meeting in a different location in person this month--a bar called Sam Fancy.

We will have a discussion in July on the philosophy of charity.

The word "charity" used to be synonymous with love, which is how it was used in the King James Bible. Would it better to go back to the old way of speaking, or is it better now that we've narrowed the word "charity" down to things like philanthropy and almsgiving? And is charity morally obligatory, or does it go above and beyond what's morally required of us? Is charity condescending? And what's the best way to give charity? Does government aid instead of private charity cause unintended harm, as people like Thomas Sowell argue? And what is charity anyway?

Suggested reading to prepare for the discussion: Any or all of:
--this essay by Thomas Sowell,
--this introduction to Thomas Aquinas on the virtue of charity/love (Latin caritas), and
--this introduction to some issues involving charity in contemporary moral philosophy.

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 11 July, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Philosophy of Charity
Moderator: TBD
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join on Zoom, click here! (URL in text form: https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/99290147034.)

To join in person, go to Sam Fancy at The Plaza, 3/f & 4/f, 21 D'Aguilar St. in Central, HK Island! (Near Central Station, Exit D1 and D2.)

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

09/05/2023

Reminder Tonight:
The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet this evening at 8 PM. We will meet in person and on Zoom concurrently. (We may split up the conversation into Zoomer and face-to-face groups after the opening presentation.)

This month, given the proximity of our meeting to Labour Day, the Organizing Committee thought it would be a good idea to talk about the philosophy of work.

Please come prepared to discuss the philosophy of work! What is work? Why does it matter? Is work just a misery we have to accept because of our human limitations? Is it part of the punishment for sin described in Genesis chapter 3? Or is work an essential part of being human, and a good thing, as suggested by the responsibility of tending creation which God gives to human beings in Genesis 1-2? In other accounts of work as essential to human beings, is John Locke right when he thinks work is the foundation of property rights because it's how we mix ourselves up with the world and improve it? And is Karl Marx right that modern capitalism alienates us from our work, thus cutting us off from a part of ourselves?

Suggested readings: any or all of the following, as you have time and interest:
--the Plato.Stanford.edu article on "Philosophical Approaches to Work and Labor" at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/work-labor/.
--the section on John Locke's political philosophy in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Locke: https://iep.utm.edu/locke/
--the section on socialist theory of labour in the IEP's article on socialism: https://iep.utm.edu/socialis/ .

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 9 May, 2023
Time: 8:00PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Philosophy of Work
Moderator: Mark J. Boone
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join on Zoom, click here! (URL in text form: https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/94693339647.)

To join in person, go to Varga Lounge at 36 Staunton Street in Central, HK Island!

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book

John Locke (1632—1704) John Locke was among the most famous philosophers and political theorists of the 17th century. He is often regarded as the founder of a school of thought known as British Empiricism, and he made foundational contributions to modern theories of limited, liberal government. He...

09/05/2023

TONIGHT
Date: Tuesday 9 May, 2023
Time: 8:00PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: Philosophy of Work
Moderator: Mark J. Boone
Co-Moderator: TBD
To join on Zoom, click here! (URL in text form: https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/94693339647.)
To join in person, go to Varga Lounge at 36 Staunton Street in Central, HK Island!
Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

14/03/2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/opinion/noam-chomsky-chatgpt-ai.html

The most prominent strain of A.I. encodes a flawed conception of language and knowledge.

14/03/2023

REMINDER !!! REMINDER!!! TODAY!!!
The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet this evening at 8 PM. We have a place to meet in person this month! We will also meet on Zoom concurrently.

This month, we will discuss ChatGPT and other issues relating to artificial intelligence!

Do you think the development of AI does more good than harm to our society and to human beings, or vice versa? Should we continue to develop AI? Should we stop it or at least set some limits on its scope and extent? What are the reasons for your concern or lack thereof? Should Mark be more worried about his students letting AI do their thinking for them? Is that the least of our worries? Is Skynet or the Matrix in our future?

Some suggested readings as homework are listed below. Please read none, one, or more of them as you have time!
--https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-humans/
--https://hbr.org/2021/03/ai-should-augment-human-intelligence-not-replace-it
--https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/11/28/artificial-intelligence-and-future-of-conflict-pub-80421
--https://ideapod.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-famous-philosophers-answer/

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 14 March, 2023
Time: 8:00 PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: AI
Moderator: Mark J. Boone
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join on Zoom, click here!

To join in person, go to Varga Lounge at 36 Staunton Street in Central, HK Island!

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book
https://www.headmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CHAT-GPT.png

06/03/2023

The Hong Kong Philosophy Café will meet on 14 March, 2023, at 8:00 PM.

(I expect to be on Zoom only again due to my grueling weekday schedule this semester. We will do what we can to make sure someone will be there with a phone or laptop ready to link the Zoomers to the in-person participants. I do apologize that we botched this at last month's meeting!)

This month, we will discuss ChatGPT and other issues relating to artificial intelligence!

Do you think the development of AI does more good than harm to our society and to human beings, or vice versa? Should we continue to develop AI? Should we stop it or at least set some limits on its scope and extent? What are the reasons for your concern or lack thereof? Should Mark be more worried about his students letting AI do their thinking for them? Is that the least of our worries? Is Skynet or the Matrix in our future?

Some suggested readings as homework are listed below. Please read none, one, or more of them as you have time!
--https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-humans/
--https://hbr.org/2021/03/ai-should-augment-human-intelligence-not-replace-it
--https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/11/28/artificial-intelligence-and-future-of-conflict-pub-80421
--https://ideapod.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-famous-philosophers-answer/

Further details of the meeting are below:

Date: Tuesday 14 March, 2023
Time: 8:00PM (Hong Kong time)
Topic: AI
Moderator: Mark J. Boone
Co-Moderator: TBD

To join on Zoom, click here!

https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/99213818540

To join in person, go to Varga Lounge at 36 Staunton Street in Central, HK Island!

Please note that while the Philosophy café welcomes all questions and comments, an open mind is necessary and respect for all opinions is mandatory.

Also note that we now have a WhatsApp group where we can share news of the HKPC swiftly and communicate quickly with our members. If you want to be included in the WhatsApp group, please email your phone number to someone at the HKPC organizing committee (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]), and we shall send you an invite link to the group.

Dr. Mark J. Boone
Ph.D, Philosophy (Baylor University, 2010)
TeacherOfPhilosophy on YouTube and Rumble
Author of this Augustine book
Author of this other Augustine book (now open-access)
Author of a third Augustine book
Editor of this C. S. Lewis book
Editor of this Christian worldview book

What does it mean to be human? Such a fundamental question to our existence.

06/12/2022

Good evening Dear Members of the Hong Kong Philosophy Café!

We have a venue!
Please come at 8pm
Dec 13 Tuesday.
Varga Lounge 36 Staunton Street., Central.
We will be discussing « goodness »
All are welcome and please confirm to come in person. Bring friends!

25/11/2022

Very Important!

Hello Philosophy lovers!
Next month December is the season for celebrations, and the HKPC is planning to have a get together plus discussion at a bar in Central. It is also HKPC's first year after the new organization committee took over from our much missed founder Steve Palmquist. We are still here one year after he left so this is another thing to celebrate!
We need to know how many members will be attending our Christmas celebration and discussion on Dec 13 Tuesday at 7pm so we can book a place.
Please press going if you are attending or put your name in the comments section to let us know.
See you all soon!