Philosophy Department at Saint Anselm College

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Department of Philosophy at Saint Anselm College

10/16/2026

Philosophy Club today at 3 on the Thrid Floor
Exploring the Unexplored

- Is fear of the unknown justified? What about when it comes at the cost of knowing?
- If we knew everything, would we be happy?
- If we knew nothing, would we be happy?
- Is there a limit to our exploration of the world/universe? Or is there always something more to discover?
- How many people have to know something for it to be considered "known?" What role (if any) does culture have in this?
- Is knowledge a blessing, or a curse?
- When do we go to far in pursuit of discovery? Do the ends always justify the means?
- Is discovery ever pointless (eg: if we discovered aliens, would our lives substantially change?)?
- Can we ever really "know," or is it just an illusion?
- Can we ever truly know ourselves?
In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

10/02/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3:00 Bradley 3rd Floor
Manipulation and Control

- What does it mean to be under control? How is that different from being controlled?
- How are manipulation and control different?
- Can you consensually be controlled or manipulated? Or is it always a violation of free will?
- Was Sartre right when he said that humans are "condemned to be free?" What does that mean to you?
- Can manipulation ever be morally justified?
- In cases of one controlling another, there ever a point of no return?
- Is controlling behavior ever ethical? How would you classify paternalistic relationships?
- How many hot dogs can we ethically feed to Davy? 10? 20?
- Can destructive displays of control done in the name of "caregiving" be justified?
- Does a controller/controlled relationship respect the dignity of both parties?
In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

09/25/2026

Philosophy C;ub at 3 Today on the Thrid Floor
Social Norms and Taboo

-What is a social norm? How is it different from a moral rule?
- Who creates social norms?
- How important is it to follow norms?
- value of deconstructing norms?
- differences in culture?
- embracing or rejecting what is taboo?
-Do social norms invite their own disruption?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

09/18/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3:00 Bradley 3rd Floor
The Man, the Myth, the Legend?

- What makes a myth?
- On the intersection of myth and religion
- Is there an American mythology?
- Is the American Dream a myth?
- What do myths mean to us if all who believed them have died off?
- Is there an immortality in storytelling?
- is there truth to mythology?
- Why do we make meyths? Why do we need them?
- What is the difference between a myth and a regular story?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

09/10/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3:00 Bradley 3rd Floor
What is Terror?

- Is political violence ever justified?
- Is terror a weapon, a tool, something in between?
- Can we consider words that incite/promote violence a form of political violence?
- What’s the difference between terrorism and political violence?
- How has the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks affected life in America (and the world) since?

- When does terror justify surveillance? When does that surveillance become an attack in itself?
- Is terror/terrorism ever justifiable? Does that answer change with the subject of an attack?
- What does it mean to be an enemy? What does it mean to be a friend? Can a friend ever be a threat, or an enemy an ally?
- Why do we tend to craft conspiracies around acts of terror?
- In a perfect world, would terrorism still exist? Would it take on a different form/meaning?
- What makes a terrorist? Is it nature or nurture?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

04/29/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3 on the Third Floor
AI?

- What can current AI models do? Think? Feel? Experience? Understand? Act? Be Conscious?
- What is Consciousness? Intelligence? Thinking? Sentience?
- Do we have any ethical obligations to AI agents?
- How do current LLM Ai agents work?
- Does AI violate intellectual property rights?
-When is it immoral to use AI to do something?
- Are there environmental issues in the use of LLM's?
- How will AI affect the economy?
- What should education be in the age of AI?
- Will AI reduce the ability of humans to think and act and mange their lives without help?
- Who should own AI? Who should benefit from it?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

04/24/2026

Philosophy Cub Friday at 3 on the Third Floor

@ #$% eat your (fruits and) veggies!

- Why do we resist doing things that we know are good for us?
- Is “healthy” always the same as “good”?
- How does society shape our definition of health? Does this change its importance?
- Does having the freedom to make unhealthy choices matter more than making the “right”/good choice?
- Is self-control always a virtue? Or is it sometimes a vice?
- Is our health a matter of personal or societal responsibility?
- Can forcing someone to do something good for them ever be justified?
- Does knowledge always lead to better choices?
- How many bananas is too many bananas? Is there such a thing? (What about the “Calvin Factor”?)
- Can pleasure itself be a valid reason to reject what is “best” for you?
- How do we decide what counts as taking care of ourselves?
- Is it possible to live a good life without self-control?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

04/10/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3PM on the Third Floor
Memento Mori

- Does death give meaning to life?
- Ethics of assisted su***de and euthanasia
- How should the existence (or nonexistence) of the afterlife affect how we act?
- Should we fear death?
- How soon is too soon?
- Is there honor in death?
- how do we cope with loss?
- Death of ego
- Other types of death

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

03/26/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3

Addiction

- What makes an addiction different from casual or recreational use? How does it compare to a dependency?
- Is addiction a disease? If so, how is it transmitted?
- How strong, really, is willpower?
- Is our world set up to take care of addicts, or are we set up to fail?
- Do we have more or less control over our decisions and actions than we believe?
- Can you improve your ability to resist temptation, or is willpower finite?
- Is the phrase "once an addict, always an addict" helpful, hurtful, or both?
- Who benefits from addiction? Who benefits from treating it?
- Are all addictions harmful?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

03/06/2026

Philosophy Club Friday at 3:00 Bradley 3rd Floor
Wasting Away

- how do we quantify waste?
- material waste vs abstract waste
- wasting time- what do we consider a waste of time?
- relationship between waste and limits
- relationship between corporations and waste
- how responsible for our waste are we?
- can we counteract our waste or is what is done done?
- can we ever eliminate all our waste?
- Can a life be wasted? What is wasting time?

In Person on Third Floor of Bradley!
Join us for discussion.
All are welcome! Food and Refreshments!

Address

Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH
03102

Telephone

+16036417062

Website

http://www.anselmphilosophy.com/, http://twitter.com/anselmphil

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