Do you often find yourself contemplating deeper implications of current policies and political issues or crave the swordsmanship of philosophical debates you had (or never got to have) in college? Do you wish you could draw from the works of some of the major philosophical thinkers to boost your conversations?

This Olio path aims to bring participants to an understanding of the nature and history of philosophy through debate and discussion, but also upon close reading and analysis of canonical texts. We will explore various branches of the 'queen of all disciplines' (metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion), as well as various topics and fundamental questions that have been raised since the birth of philosophy. For each topic, we will consider positions of major philosophers such as Plato, Descartes, or Kant, to name only a few of the greatest authors of the continental tradition that will be studied.

One of the main goals of these monthly gatherings will be the translation of philosophical jargon into accessible materials for reflection. Each session will last approximately 2 hours -- alternating small group discussions, general ideas about the topics at hand, and sharing comments on excerpts that will be submitted in advance to all participants.

This month: Government and Social Contracts. Do humans need a government? Is the government's use of force legitimate?