The Blue Mountains Pluriversity has launched a philosophy school to give young people aged 16-30 access to university-level philosophy in relaxed and social local settings.
After the school kicked off with an introduction to philosophy at the Pluriversity's fortnightly pot luck dinner last month, all young people were able to listen to the Philosophy of Inception movie night in Blackheath on February 15. Philosophy lecturer Dr Robert Anderson, also known fondly as the Inception Guru, followed a screening of Christopher Nolan's cryptic film 'Inception' with a discussion of the philosophical questions the film poses.
According to Dr Anderson, "I love helping students grapple with complexity and use philosophy to reason and argue better".
The next three sessions of the Philosophy School will be held, surrounded by nature, at the Blackheath Community Farm on three consecutive Sundays (Feb 23, Mar 1 and Mar 8). Over long lazy picnics, participants will be intellectually challenged to look at philosophy and truth, philosophy and morality, and philosophy and aesthetics.
According to Lis Bastian from The Big Fix, "this challenging 'black summer' has forced many young people to confront some difficult existential questions. We decided to start the Pluriversity year enabling them to untangle conflicting and confusing world views by posing the right questions with the guidance of a philosopher in relaxed social settings with their peers."
A visit to the Pluriversity website not only reveals all the other programs being developed, but is a one-stop shop for young people to find work, as well as events and opportunities being offered by others in a regularly updated calendar.
While almost all the events offered by the Pluriversity are free, it is essential to book online at bmpluriversity.org/program or call 0407 437 553 to secure a place.
