Announcing: Philosophy Portal Live Events
Membership for 2024 gives access to four monthly live events designed to learn core concepts, explore ideas with great thinkers, and open new discursive spaces
I have been busy over these past few months teaching Jacques Lacan’s Écrits. Indeed, most of my time in the past two years has been dedicated to teaching foundational texts in philosophy, and trying to build a different type of community online, organised around long-term conceptual mediation, and inspired by these texts.1
Thanks to all who have helped along the way in making this possible.
However, in 2024, Philosophy Portal is going to get a new-extra dimension that I hope will add to the overall mission of the initiative: Philosophy Portal Live Event Space.2
I am excited to explore philosophy in a more open concept and with more opportunity for creative discursive space. This does not mean we will be giving up on the larger course processes, there are still many ideas in the works there, but rather attempting to expand and extend what Philosophy Portal can deliver.
The idea is simple: every month there will be a new theme that orients four very different styles of live event. For example, in January 2024, the theme is organised around the concept of “libido”. The first live event will be a short but informative presentation around this core philosophical concept, as well as an opportunity to engage a larger discussion space around this concept.
After that, there will be three events organised in coordination with a great theorist or practitioner from the liminal web, which offer a new insight, perspective, or opportunity to engage with this core concept. For example, “The Edge” is a space to walk the “razor’s edge” of a new idea or collision between ideas in thought and practice; “Thought Lab” is a space to learn from and think with a thought leader who has been mediating a core idea for an extended period of time; and Real Talk is a space of free association and full speech inspired by liminal thinkers and living ideas.
In January 2024, Philosophy Portal will be hosting meta-shaman Layman Pascal to walk “The Edge” between magic and psychoanalysis, philosopher Alenka Zupančič to lead a “Thought Lab” on contemporary sexuality, and Eliot Rosenstock to open a “Real Talk” about sexuality and therapy.
Hopefully, this 2024 we will have a lot of live event opportunities to explore the frontier of philosophy, not only with the diverse community of minds who are making it possible, but also in a form that allows for something genuinely new to emerge.
To access the live events, consider becoming a Philosophy Portal Member. Becoming a Member does not only give you access to all live events, but it also gives you access to office hours (details to be announced soon), community publications, discounts on recorded courses, permanent early bird pricing on future courses, and priority to apply for retreats (more details coming in the new year).
Whether you have been a part of the Philosophy Portal community in various capacities for the past two years, or whether you are new to Philosophy Portal, if you are looking for a well designed and curated space to explore philosophy in 2024, this is the community for you.
For more on this, find my recent celebration for the second anniversary of Philosophy Portal: Philosophy Portal is a 2 Year Old!
For the formal announcement, see: Announcement: Philosophy Portal Live Event Space.