Socrates Cafe <http://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Socrates-Cafe/> is looking for speakers to talk at its Newtown meetings, which are held at Berkelouw Books Newtown on the second Wednesday of each month (although dates are flexible to suit your schedule).
Socrates Cafe is a non-academic philosophy discussion group open to the general public. We've been around nearly four years and have over 600 members. Gatherings at Berkelouw regularly see 50+ attendees. The audience is typically non-academic, but thoroughly enthused about hearing about and discussing philosophy. Some past speakers include Dominic Murphy<http://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Socrates-Cafe/calendar/12213923/?from=list&offset=0>(on personal identity and mental illness), David McKnight<http://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Socrates-Cafe/calendar/10542089/?from=list&offset=0>(on moving beyond 'left' and 'right' in politics), Kristie Miller<http://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Socrates-Cafe/calendar/12410710/?from=list&offset=0>(on the philosophy of time) and Peter J. Sharp<http://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Socrates-Cafe/calendar/11027887/?from=list&offset=0>(on the science and ethics of GM food). I'm sure if you know any of them, you could ask about how they found speaking at Socrates Cafe. The objective of Socrates Cafe is twofold: first is to get some of the wonderful ideas from academia out to the general public; and secondly to foster critical philosophical discussion. I suppose you could call a third objective to have fun, socialise and drink coffee on a Wednesday night! The format is straightforward. We start with a 30 minute talk on a topic of your choice. Then, after a 5 min break to top up on coffee, everyone breaks up in to groups of 5-6 to discuss the night's topic while the speaker circulates the room chatting to each group. It typically all starts at about 7pm and ends by 8.30pm. It's a relaxed and low stress environment, and the audience is always very engaged and thoughtful. There's also a mic and PA, so you don't have to shout to be heard. If you're an academic or student, and have some fascinating ideas you'd like to present at Socrates Cafe, please email Tim Dean on [email protected] I'd be pleased to give you more details. You can also check out the site using the links above to find out more.
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