Philosophical Conversations  - is a bimonthly philosophy colloquia / reading group hosted by the Humboldt Philosophy Department.

What is it? - 

Colloquia - Students and professors are invited to come to a brief talk given by a student or faculty member. Any broadly philosophical topic is fair game. Each talk will last 10-20 min, followed by informal discussion. There may be refreshments, but you are welcome to bring something to eat or drink.

Reading Group - A reading to be discussed is distributed via e-mail a week before the meeting. (See examples below): 

Giving a talk - If you are interested in giving a brief talk, don’t hesitate to sign up for a slot in the near future. Please note that it does not have to be a polished APA-style presentation, and the Q&A will be friendly. Your topic could center on a paper in progress, an old paper, an argument sketch, a philosophical puzzle, diagnosis of a problem, you facilitating a dicussion on a topic, etc. It’s really open-ended! Who knows, maybe one of your philosophy professors will give you extra credit for your presentation.

Suggesting a reading - Contact John Chandler

When do we meet? - Contact forum creator John Chandler (Lecturer in Philosophy) for more information or to offer to present: John.Chandler@humboldt.eduExmaple

 Sample Past Topics - Reading Group

"The Extended Mind", by David Chlamers and Andy Clark. Is your mind housed only in your head, or does it extend to your IPhone or PlayStation? Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin? The question invites two standard replies. Some accept the boundaries of skin and skull, and say that what is outside the body is outside the mind. Others are impressed by arguments suggesting that the meaning of our words ‘just ain’t in the head’, and hold that this externalism about meaning carries over into an externalism about mind. We propose to pursue a third position. We advocate a very different sort of externalism: an active externalism, based on the active role of the environment in driving cognitive processes.