What we’re about
We're a community fostering friendship and insights by engaging in thoughtful discussions on significant concepts discovered from reading books and intellectual consumption.
Read our FAQ
Sponsors
See all- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
- Gnosis Healthhttps://www.gnosis.health
- Unpacking Ideas PodcastUnpacking the most influential ideas from the past.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- 🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2025 (#NYCPPRC2025)Pier 57, New York, NY
Saturday, September 27, 2025
10am to 8pm
Location: Community Classrooms @ Pier 57, NYC - W 15th St West Side Highway Located inside Pier 57, New York, NY 10011
https://pier57nyc.com/community-spaces/community-classrooms/
Hashtag: #nycpprc2025Welcome to the first annual NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference!
Since 2019 this meetup group has enabled readers of philosophy and psychology to come together to form friendships and foster insights by engaging in thoughtful discussions on significant concepts discovered from reading books and intellectual consumption.
Now, we’re taking it to the next level — join us for a full-day conference where community members will share their insights through a series of talks and lively social interactions.
### ❗ IMPORTANT RSVP INFO
Each session has its own RSVP link below — please RSVP to each talk individually. Space is limited, seating is first-come, first-served. Seating capacity is 40 seated, ~70 standing.
⚠️ Sessions will begin once the speaker is ready and the room is seated. Please arrive on time, as no late entry will be allowed after a session begins.
🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2025 (#NYCPPRC) - Saturday, September 27th 2025
🎤 Agenda
🌼 Daffodil Classroom (10am to 12:15pm)
10:00am - Absolute Certainty: From Russell to Wittgenstein - Brian Allen PhD
10:45am - Art, Love, and Violence: Enduring Insights in Civilization and its Discontents - Naomi Gold PhD
11:30am - Kant's Critique of Pure Reason - Ryan Bohman🕛 12:15pm - Lunch Break - Enjoy a meal in the Market 57 Food Court
🦪 Oyster Classroom (1pm to 5:45pm)
1:00pm - How to Read Philosophy (Workshop) - Zach Stehura
2:00pm - Classical Greeks on Trial: Who Was Helen of Troy? - Sheryl Harawitz
2:45pm - What American Pragmatists Still Have to Teach Us: 5 Ideas for Now - Brent Mondoskin
3:30pm - Past Leaders, Present Lessons: Exploring Plutarch’s Lives - Zita Vasilisinova
4:15pm - Beyond the Simulacra: Plato’s Critical Aesthetics - Sean Pergola
5:00pm - Dataism and the Invisible Hand: How Data and Algorithms Shape Society and Ourselves - Hannah Gehring🍽️ 5:45 pm - 8:00 pm - Eat and Socialize in Food Court Until Closing
🏛️ Venue Notes:
- Location & Access: Market 57 classrooms at Pier 57. Doors lock at 8 PM (but you may exit anytime).
- Finding Rooms: Refer to the P57 Classroom & Market Map
- Food: Market 57 food is allowed in classrooms. No outside food or alcohol.
- Temperature Alert: AC may be chilly — bring a jacket!
- Photos: Share your experience using #nycpprc2025
- Absolute Certainty: From Russell to WittgensteinPier 57, New York, NY
The dream of absolute certainty, of truth with a capital T, has tantalized humanity for millennia. Some find it through dogmatic declaration, but a stubborn few have searched for it in its purest form by attempting to establish a solid philosophical foundation on which to rest certainty on. Perhaps no one is more famous for this attempt as Bertrand Russell in the 20th to 21st centuries. In the Principia Mathematica with Alfred North Whitehead, he attempted to establish all of mathematics as an outpouring from pure logic. In logical Atomism, he attempted to give an ontology which is linked to logic as a universal language capable of providing a ground for truth. During this time, Russell's doctoral student, Ludwig Wittgenstein, as part of his dissertation, gave his own attempt of establishing truth via a different version of Logical Atomism. Later in Wittgenstein's life, we see a complete rejection of this original dream with a philosophy which declares truth to be relative due to the limitations of language. Reflecting on this shift in thinking gives us clear insights into the progression from modern to postmodern thought in the history of western philosophy. In this lecture we will explore the history of analytic philosophy, focusing specifically on Russell and Wittgenstein, as we reflect on the role of language as a tool for establishing truth.
———————————————————————————————————————
This talk is part of the 🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2025 (#NYCPPRC2025).
For full event details—including venue, schedule, and attendance info—visit:
👉 https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/308631821/
———————————————————————————————————————
