Philosophy Club Page

We meet on the first Wednesday of each month, starting at 6pm. All Master Masons are welcome to attend.
The Assignment for July 15, 2019, is John Stuart Mill’s “Utilitarianism”
The great minds who crafted our noble fraternity were extremely well read. And in their extensive study, they collected many secrets both common and occult in nature. For operative Masons, the secrets that needed to be shared among the brethren included things you might find today in the works of Euclid. But, as you can imagine, those secrets were only the tip of the iceberg. And, as our fraternity expanded to include speculative Freemasons, the body of knowledge that needed to be taught to the Craft expanded to include many lessons of History as well as the ideas of Philosophy. It is to the master works known by our sage brethren, and the works that have defined the centuries since, that we now turn for illumination. Join us in this effort, and explore the depths of the knowledge passed. Some of us believe that what we have been taught is the key to the map that divines Elysium. Seek with us that fair country and the treasure that lies therein.

Meeting Archive

Focus: “Ethics”
July 15, 2019 John Stuart Mill’s “Utilitarianism”
June 5, 2019 Immanuel Kant’s “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals”
Focus: “Human Understanding.” 18th c. Epistemology and Metaphysics.
April 3, 2019 Immanuel Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason”
March 6, 2019 David Hume: Book 1, Parts 1 and 3, of “A Treatise of Human Nature”
February 6, 2019 David Hume: Book 1, Parts 1 and 3, of “A Treatise of Human Nature”
December 5, 2018 John Locke: Exerpts from: “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”
Focus: “Know thyself.” Exploring American Philosophy.
September 5, 2018 John Locke: Book 2 of “Two Treatises of Civil Government”
July 3, 2018 Ayn Rand: “The Fountainhead”
May 2, 2018 Henry David Thoreau: “Civil Disobedience”
April 4, 2018 Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays: “History” and “Self-Reliance”
March 7, 2018 William James’ “Pragmatism” (lectures 2 and 6)
February 7, 2018 John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty”
January 3, 2018 Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
Focus: Thought leading up to the Protestant Reformation
December 6, 2017 Desiderius Erasmus’ “In Praise of Folly”
November 01, 2017 Desiderius Erasmus’ “Manual of a Christian Knight”
October 4, 2017 Machiavelli’s “The Prince”
Focus: Understanding Rationalism and Idealism. (set topic aside for later)
August 2, 2017 Renee Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy”
Focus: To create a Utopia, you need good people.
July 7, 2017 Plato’s “Republic Books 6-8”
May 16, 2017 Plato’s “Republic Books 1-5”
March 21, 2017 Thomas More’s “Utopia”
February 7, 2017 Francis Bacon’s “The New Atlantis”
Focus: Frequently misunderstood philosophies.
December 6, 2016 Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
September 20, 2016 Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”
Focus: Pythagoras and “Sacred Geometry”
August 2, 2016 Hosted a workshop on Geometry featuring the use of compass and straight edge.
Focus: Stoicism is alive and well.
May 17, 2016 Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations”
April 19, 2016 David Burns’ “Feeling Good”
Focus: Happiness and Friendship.
March 15, 2016 Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics Book VIII (Friendship)”
March 1, 2016 Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics Book I and II
Focus: Examination of philosophical ideas present as Christianity organized.
February 16, 2016 “The Kyballion” by Three Initiates
February 2, 2016 “The Kyballion” by Three Initiates (Introduction to the 7 Hermetic Principles)
September 15, 2015 Brian Brown’s “Wisdom of the Egyptians”
August 18, 2015 Plutarch’s “Isis and Osiris”
August 4, 2015 Iamblichus’ “On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans and Assyrians”
July 21, 2015 Plotinus’ “6 Enneads”
June 30, 2015 Porphyry and Neoplatonism. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
Focus: Finding your personal legend.
June 16, 2015 Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”