Davis Square Philosophy Café on Tuesday, January 16

[marycurtin.livejournal.com]

McIntyre & Moore Booksellers hosts "Self vs. Other: How Altruistic Should We Be?": January's topic at the Davis Square Philosophy Café, moderated by Tom Clark, on January 16, 7:30-9:30 pm at McIntyre & Moore Booksellers, 255 Elm St. in Davis Square, Somerville, near the Red Line. Free and open to all; wheelchair accessible. 15% book discount* for all those attending [*discount available for day of event only]. For information call McIntyre & Moore Booksellers (617) 629-4840 or log onto www.mcintyreandmoore.com.

McIntyre and Moore Booksellers, in conjunction with the Center for Naturalism, continues year 4 of its discussion group series, the Davis Square Philosophy Café, held each month on the third Tuesday. The Philosophy Café is a philosophy discussion group modeled on philosophy cafés underway in other cities in Europe and the US. The goal is to present occasions for informal, relaxed philosophical discussion on topics of mutual interest to participants. No particular expertise is required to participate, only a desire to explore philosophy and its real world applications.

January’s topic, "Self vs. Other: How Altruistic Should We Be?" will focus on the following:
It’s largely taken for granted that altruism is a good thing, that we should be altruistic, at least to some extent. But what principled reasons require that we should sometimes sacrifice our own interests to those of others? If there are such reasons, do they tell us where to strike the balance between selfishness and altruism? And if there aren’t, what sometimes leads us to be altruistic?

(Background of the moderator)
Tom Clark is director of the Boston-based Center for Naturalism. He writes on science, naturalism, free will, consciousness, addiction and other topics, and maintains an extensive website on philosophical and applied naturalism, Naturalism.Org (Yahoo #1 searching on "naturalism"). As moderator of the Philosophy Café, he brings an engaging interest in philosophy and its real world applications, and the ability to involve participants of varied backgrounds in animated, productive, and fair discussion.