Atheist Society
Free monthly public lectures (second Tuesday of the month) at 8pm. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~atheist/

Atheist Foundation of Australia INC Discussion Groups http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/discussion.htm

Atheists_Australia Egroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Atheists_Australia/

Australian Catholic University
School of Philosophy Public Lectures are occasionally held, check http://www.acu.edu.au

Rethinking our Place in Nature

The School of Philosophy at ACU National in Melbourne is presenting the 2008 Wednesday Lectures, a Free Public Lecture Series running each Wednesday for six weeks at 6.30pm in The Christ Lecture Theatre, ACU National, Melbourne Campus (St Patrick's), 115 Victoria Parade Fitzroy.

This year the focus is the environment and how we, as human beings, understand our place in the natural world. Six diverse expert voices will offer their perspectives and reflections on our relationship to our environment. We warmly invite anyone with an interest in this issue to attend.

The lectures are open to everyone and no bookings are required.

Wednesday 4 June Raimond Gaita ‘The Significance of the Human'

Wednesday 11 June Clive Hamilton ‘Understanding Nature from Ourselves

Wednesday 18 June Alex Arbuthnot 'Country and City'

Wednesday 25 June Deborah Rose 'Indigenous and Western Understandings of Nature'

Wednesday 2 July Martin Harrison 'Sense and Sustainability'

Wednesday 9 July Freya Mathews 'The Radical Meaning of Sustainability'

Alex Arbuthnot is an irrigation dairy farmer from Nambrok in Victoria where he has farmed with his family for 30 years. He is the former President of the Victorian Farmers Federation and is a Director of Landcare Australia Limited. Alex was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998 for his services to agriculture and landcare and in 2005 was appointed to the Australian Landcare Council representing the National Farmers Federation.

Raimond Gaita is Foundation Professor of Philosophy at ACU National and Professor of Moral Philosophy at King's College London. He is perhaps best known to the general reader for the prize-winning memoir, Romulus , My Father . His other books include Good and Evil: An Absolute Conception, A Common Humanity: Thinking About Love and Truth and Justice and The Philosopher's Dog .

Clive Hamilton is a visiting fellow at the Regulatory Institutions Network, ANU, and former executive director of The Australia Institute, a progressive think tank he founded. He is the author of a number of best-selling books including, Growth Fetish , Affluenza (with Richard Denniss) and Scorcher: the dirty politics of climate change . His next book, The Freedom Paradox: towards a post-secular ethics , will be published on 1 August.

Martin Harrison is an award winning poet, essayist and literary critic. His publications include The Kangaroo Farm , Summer , Music: Poems and Prose , and a collection of essays, Who Wants to Create Australia ? concerned with contemporary Australian poetry and senses of place and environment. Harrison is currently Director of Writing and Cultural Studies at the University of Technology , Sydney .

Freya Mathews is Associate Professor in the Philosophy Program at La Trobe University, teaching ecological philosophy and co-ordinating the Environmental Enquiry major. Her books include The Ecological Self , For Love of Matter: A Contemporary Panpsychism and Reinhabiting Reality: Towards a Recovery of Culture . She is also co-editor of the journal, PAN (Philosophy Activism Nature).

Deborah Rose is Senior Research Fellow in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University . Her research focus is indigenous knowledge and ethics and she has worked with Aboriginal people in their claims to land, and in other decolonising contexts. Her books include the award winning Dingo Makes Us Human and Reports from a Wild Country: Ethics for Decolonisation . Jasmin Chen

Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au

Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE)
The Melbourne Division of the Centre conducts a series of public lectures. The speakers are all prominent in their fields and the topics are challenging and often confronting. Click here to view the 2002 program.

Existentialist Society
Lectures: First Tuesday of the month at 8 pm.
Royal Society Theatrette, 8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne.
(On triangle, corner Exhibition and Victoria Streets, Melway map 2B, ref G12)
Admission free, no prior booking necessary, all welcome.
A question-to-the-speaker period follows the lecture.
Website: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~exist/

Heart of Philosophy www.heartofphilosophy.com
Heart of Philosophy is a Philosophy Events company
“… We have a passion for creating philosophy events for the public, where everyone gets to learn about the history of ideas, understand how these ideas became part of the every day and debate the Big Questions in life. Our events include regular Philosophy Cafes, Symposium Dinners, Philosophy @ Movies, short philosophy courses and corporate packages. We have also collaborated on events with Melbourne University , Melbourne CAE and Mornington Peninsula Shire…” from www.heartofphilosophy.com
Heart of Philosophy Café meets the first Wednesday of every month at Red Rhythm Bar ( 10 Centre Place , CBD) see www.heartofphilosophy.com  for further details. The format is a Philosopher or Thinker gives a short informative talk on a topic from philosophy, literature, theology, art, cultural or critical studies. Then attendees are invited to ask questions and listen to the debate and general discussion.
Philosophy @ the Movies a fabulous cinematic series every month at Loop Bar ( 23 Meyers Place , CBD) see Events at www.heartofphilosophy.com for details.

Humanist Society of Victoria
Public Meetings held at Camberwell Theatrette, Inglesby Road, Camberwell for topics and times check: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~humanist/whatsnew/meetings/top.html

PIPS (Philosophy in Public Spaces)
...... expanding philosophical dialogue in the public realm
Click: ‘News’ for PIPS events

 

Philosophy Cafe at Thangs Cafe Melbourne's longest running Philosophy Café
Philosophy Cafe at Thangs Cafe, 502 Lygon Street, East Brunswick, (near Albion Street) on the first Thursday of each month (except January).
'Formal' activities generally begin around 8.00 PM but many participants start gathering from around 6.30 for meals and drinks. Meal service is difficult to provide once the Philosophy Cafe gets under way. If you want to buy a meal please try to arrive before 7.30 pm.

An issue, topic or question for discussion is usually identified at the previous café for the following café. However this seems to have little bearing on what is actually discussed at the following café.

Please read and abide by the draft norms for conducting the discourse at Thangs Philosophy Café.

There is no charge.

To join Thangstalk Yahoo group see homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thangstalk/ or simply enter your email address below and hit 'enter':

To subscribe to Thangstalk:

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Article on Philosophy cafes "Cafes give food for thought" in the Age of 20 February 2005: http://theage.com.au/articles/2005/02/19/1108709446409.html

 

Sydney Events
The Russellian Society is the philosophy society of the University of Sydney. The society's objective is to develop understanding of the issues and language of philosophy -- both by the students of Sydney University and by other interested persons. Check their site for events in Sydney: http://www.geocities.com/russellian_society/

Sea of Faith Network
Meets regularly with lectures followed by discussion what is happening on:
http://www.sof-in-australia.org

Reader's Feast Literary Events http://www.readersfeast.com.au/LiteraryEvent.cfm