Philosophy Society
The Philosophy Society of University College Dublin (UCD Philsoc) was founded in 1965. The purpose of the society is to encourage the learning, thinking and discussion of philosophical ideas; and to act as a social forum of exchange for those interested in philosophical or intellectual matters.
Guest speakers
The Philosophy Society regularly invites notable speakers to deliver individual addresses to the Society. In recent years these speakers have included include Robert Fisk,] Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental, Norman Finkelstein, Professor Richard Swinburne and Professor Noam Chomsky.
Academics are frequently invited in to discuss their area of research.
Debates and Dialogues
The society frequently hosts public debates in which both topical issues and age-old philosophical questions are discussed.
One of the highest profile events in recent years was when the society hosted a debate on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict with the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland: Ahmad Abdelrazek and Israeli Ambassador to Ireland: Boaz Modai that attracted widespread media coverage.
get in contact.
email us at philosophy@ucdsocieties.ie or through the links below.
Wednesday
Hello and welcome to Philsoc 2023- 2024. to any new comers we are all exited to meet you, and to those of you who are already members welcome back.
Our first coffee morning of the year will just be a casual get together and discussion. we will be serving some snacks along side tea and coffee.
12 mid day in the red room, student center.
Monday: Speed Friending
The Literary and Historical Society, German Society, Food Society, Psychological Society, Economics Society, and Philosophy Society are all teaming up for a speed friending event. It will be a great opportunity to check out several societies at once and also to make some new friends. To sweeten the deal, alcohol will also be provided.
Time and Location: 3 pm, Brava Lounge / Old Student Union Centre.
Tuesday: walking debate
welcome to our first walking debate of the year. there will be many to come! as usual there are 6 questions debated over the course of 2 hours. they will get 15 mins each, and we will circle back to the most popular 2 at the end to debate them for an extra 15. feel free to message us on Instagram or email us if you would like to suggest a question. we always have lots of fun in our walking debates and they have proved to be philsoc’s most popular event.
Newman building, room g08, 6pm.
Wednesday: philosophy Kahoot
come along and test your knowledge on philosophy. and learn more! there will be prizes for first, second and third place. come answer questions like which philosopher said “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering” or what concept is Immanuel Kant most famous for?
Newman building, theatre O, 6pm.
Thursday: coffee morning
this event is a chance to meat some of the members of the committee and get to know us personally. we will also be serving tea, coffee and some snacks to go with them.
red room, student center, 11am.
Friday: the philosophy of music
for this event our secretary, Ciaran Dudley, and auditor, shaam mallak, have prepared a presentation on the philosophy of music. we love karaoke events here and we host multiple a year, but we have never stopped and thought what makes music so special. what is it? why has it been invented in every culture. why does it have such an impact on us? during this presentation we encourage participation from the audience and will have time allocated for discussion. we look forward to hearing your thoughts and answers to the puzzles and paradoxes that we show.
6pm, theatre O, the Newman building, pm.
btw, since it is a Friday night many of our committee members will be heading into town for drinks and fun after the event. you are more than welcome to join us :).
Monday: walking debate.
some new questions and some popular questions than before. as usual it will be 6 questions debated over the course of 2 hours. very friendly and casual, there are no winners or looses here :). these are always our best events for discussion and casual philosophy. If theres one event you should come to this year from us, its a walking debate
7pm in the student center, red room
Wednesday: love, death and robots screening.
we have found through the years that one of the best ways in which philosophy is explored is through science fiction, such as tv shows like black mirror and love, death and robots. so for this event we will be showing a couple of the philosophical episodes of the latter. after each episodes there will be a philosophical discussion on it. what does it mean? what can we learn from it?
red room, student center, 6pm.
Monday: OGM
If you’re interested in becoming a valuable member of our committee, whether by contributing to event planning, social media management, or simply being an integral part of our team, this gathering is a fantastic opportunity! It provides a platform for everyone to participate in the election of new committee members and engage in discussions about our plans for the upcoming semester. Available positions include Events Officer(s), Social Media Officer, and Sponsorship Officer. Your involvement is greatly encouraged and appreciated!
02/10, 6 PM: Newman B108
Wednesday: Pub Quiz
Join us for an exciting philosophical pub quiz at Farmer Brown’s. Expect thought-provoking discussions and a friendly atmosphere. Don’t forget your ID & see you there for an enjoyable evening of philosophy!
04/10, 5:30 PM: Outside New Student Centre (by the sculpture)
Friday: Screening
Join us for a delightful film screening of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” followed by a thought-provoking discussion on how it connects with Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence. Afterward, we’ll continue the conversation in the Clubhouse!
06/10, 5:30 PM: Newman NTh1
Monday: nature of conflict
Wednesday: nature of identity
both of the events this week are prestation’s and discussions on the thesis of our current speaker. as usual there will be discussions at the end of both events were you can share your view. included within this week is a discussion on masculinity as well, which may come into these events.
Monday’s event will take place in the Newman Building in room c216. 6pm to 8pm
Wednesdays event will take place in the Newman building in room J102. 6pm to 8pm
Wednesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday: Coffee Morning
Take a moment to recharge at our coffee morning, offering a welcome breather as midterms loom. Engage in enlightening discussions and savour a warm brew with fellow students.
24/10, 1 PM: Newman B209
Thursday: Pumpkin Carving
Join us for a thought-provoking pumpkin carving session in celebration of Halloween! Embrace the spirit of the season while delving into deep discussions, all while crafting your very own spooky masterpiece. After, we will head on to the clubhouse.
26/10, 5 PM: Newman J108
we hope you enjoy your mid term break!!!
we will be holding game nights on discord
stoicism week
Monday: walking debate
In as part of international stoicism week we have divided to theme our week around that general theme. the first even will be a stoic themed walking debate. if there are any questions you would like to ask in line with this theme text us on our Instagram and we may add them.
Newman building: room G108 from 6pm to 8.30
Wednesday: coffee evening and free form discussion.
what does stoicism mean to you? do you think its a good philosophy or are there better alternatives? this coffee evening presents you with a chance to make all your opinions about the philosophy known. it’ll mostly be a free form discussion but we have prepared some prompts to spark discussion and debate. unlike the walking debate above it’ll be more laid back and there will be less of a focus on where attendees disagree, and more just a general discussion.
Newman building: room F101 from 6pm to 8.30
Monday:
Newman room f101 5pm to 8pm
Wednesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Monday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday:
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Friday:
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Thursday:
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Friday
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welcome back!
We hope you have all had a lovely break and enjoyed the many holidays that took place over the last while, and we are happy to be back to you with another fun semester of events and activities.
If there are any questions or concerns about the plans below please email us.
This semester we have events ranging from fun interactive ones to more acedemic ones focused on learning and discussion (should be fun also though 🙂 ). Keep an eye on our page as events and weeks will be uploaded here in the next few weeks. Also look out for our email near the start of this semester.
We are looking forward to hosting a great and eventful semester here at philsoc.
Week 20
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday: Coffee morning 10 to 11.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday: Gobline live show.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Monday: The Dancing Debate
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday: (Irish) Coffee Morning
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday: The Party Experience
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday: Coffee morning.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday: Philosophy Kahoot.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday: Walking debate.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Games week
Monday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Tuesday evening:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday: Pixels screening.
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Monday: Travel Through (Not) Time
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday: A Seemingly Innocuous Coffee Morning
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday: HAIR Screening
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Monday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Wednesday
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Thursday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Friday:
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Monday:
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Monday: Annual Society Meating with pizza!?!?!?
In this event committee will give a report to society members and answer all questions about the society like plans about the future and about what has happened in the past year. it is also a chance for all participants at the meeting to give suggestions, criticisms and make known their views about what we did well and what we shouldn’t do again.
this is also for the purposes of elections and we will here decide the committee for next year. all positions are up for grabs including major positions like secretary, auditor and pro. If you would like to join the committee come along and throw your name in. you will be given an opportunity to represent yourself and show why you should be elected into the position. there will be a link on our email and social media to a page where you can put down your details and what position you want in the weeks before hand.
Pizza will be served afterwards.
student center, (Red Room) on 3rd April 2023 at 18:00 until 20:30
Tuesday: Don’t Fear the Reaper!
The attendees are organized into groups and each group is given a model (social, cultural, religious) of how death is engaged with. The groups come together to represent their respective models and to relate them to the others. At the end of the event, the groups are dissolved, and the attendees are asked to choose which model they would personally prefer to approach death.
Newman building, theatre R. 6pm to 8.30.
Wednesday:
Join us for our first event of Sociology Week! You’ll be given a crash course in the main schools of thought within this elusive field and get a basic grasp on how to conduct sociological analysis. And the rest is up to you – together with your fellow now-sociologists you’ll investigate the sociological implications of an object of your choice (be it your favorite video game or even a can of beans!), and then share and discuss your findings to expand your knowledge of the banal world of objects around you.
6pm, blue room, student center
Friday:
Come and chill with us as we close off the week with one of PhilSoc’s most time-honored traditions: the Walking Debate… but with a sociological twist! You’ll be presented with statements made by famous sociologists on various topics and be tasked with debating their overall validity, in addition to navigating your way through the often very obtuse language employed by these people… Further your understanding of the (social) world through discussion, and have fun while at it!
student center, red room, 6pm to 8.30
Tuesday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
Monday:
no events listed yet, check back soon!
monday
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