Philosophical Happy Hour
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On the Effects of Curiosity
Do you want to know “what is happening”? Cannot resist peeking behind that curtain, over that fence, clicking that link? Join our Philosophical Happy Hour in this member-led discussion of curiosity. Curiosity Aristotle starts his Metaphysics with the claim that “All men naturally desire knowledge.” (1.1.1.980a21-2, Tredenick Translation). To modern eyes he seems to be…
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We All Dress Like the Emperor
I would dare to say that everyone raised in the Western world has taken “privacy” for granted as a natural right: such that, aside from voluntary participation in the public, each of us is protected from our activities being known. Is this a fairy tale? Join our Philosophical Happy Hour as we pry back the…
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What is “Reality”?
We often say that things are or are not real. But what does this really mean? Though a common conception upon which we all rely, “reality” proves rather slippery to describe. Join our Philosophical Happy Hour as we try to grasp it. What do we mean when we call something “real”? It sounds simple—almost embarrassingly…
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Have You No Shame?
Who among us has not felt a cringe, a desire to disappear, when the eyes of another alight upon our faults and failures? Shame is a feeling equally powerful and undesirable. But what is it, itself, and what role does it play in our lives? We take up these questions in our Philosophical Happy Hour.…
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Signs and Obfuscations: Can the Weather Lie?
The forecast calls for rain, but it remains dry. Someone smiles cheerfully at you, while plotting your downfall. You’ve got a fever—but the only cure is more cowbell. Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up the question of signs, obfuscation, obscurity, and the signs by which truth and falsity are known. Nobody—or almost nobody—expects a career…
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Felicitates de Quodlibet, III.5
A Philosophical Happy Hour on the art of questioning. A unique fifth installment in our Felictates de Quodlibet series for 2026. In this installment, we ask: do you have a serious question—any serious question whatsoever—which troubles your mind? What is that question? Do we really know what it is what we are seeking? The Lyceum’s…
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On the Nature of Culture
The title might seem like a paradox. Are not “nature” and “culture” radically distinct, even opposed to each other? To answer this we must ask: what do we mean by “nature” and what do we mean by “culture”? Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up these questions. I have often said, with only a part of…
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The Essence of Tragedy
What is the essence of tragedy? How is it a phenomenon of life, a genre of art? In what actions, characters, and thoughts is it most clearly represented? Join our Philosophical Happy Hour as we take up a central question of artistic signification. “That dinner party was a complete tragedy.” “Her outfit is, like, totally…
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The Common Good and the Toleration of Evil
Pornography, prostitution, gambling, capital punishment, slavery: each seems somehow evil, and yet—at one time or another—each has been tolerated by governments. Do these tolerations violate the common good? Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up the unhappy question. How do we live rightly as members of a society when that society is permeated by evils? There…
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For the Love of Wisdom
What makes a human being “wise”? What is “wisdom”? Why is it important? In an age of passionate reaction, it seems a virtue all too scarce, and most notably absent from those who govern. Join our Philosophical Happy Hour to discuss its nature and pursuit. We have more knowledge, expertise, and access to information today…
