Welcome AxA

My idea for the first meeting is to present some of the major teachings of Epicurus and otherwise have a free discussion. If it strays too far into unhelpful and irrelevant topics, I'll have to bring it back, and if there are participants who insist on sidetracking the discussion I'll have to control them. This will certainly be a challenge, the same any discussion moderator faces.

I don't feel a need to strictly enforce Epicurean positions. I see this as a free exchange of ideas and discussion of them on their own merits. I find that Epicurus has many excellent ideas and I want to share them and discuss them with others, including those who disagree with some or even all of them.

I wonder if the strict doctrinal enforcement here is a consequence of being an internet forum. There are just so many trolls and discussion hijackers that it takes strong policing to keep a good online discussion going. It may turn out to be this way in person as well, but I see the default state as being a free discussion with Epicurean philosophy as a "home base" to keep returning to. Policing of positions is something I only wish to do to the minimum necessary to keep the discussion fruitful for all.

Quote from Kalosyni

AxA you may want to check out this section of the forum (if you haven't already):

Outlines, Guides, And Maps

I missed that page. Thanks. I'll use this to help assemble my handout for the first meeting.

I can imagine a possible consequence of my permissive approach, that it ends up with a bunch of people arguing against everything Epicurus said, and these arguments end up taking up the whole conversation. I imagine that might be what's happening online, and what led to the strict enforcement you recommend.

If this happens, I believe what I will have to do is divide into two groups, this one open to the public, and another one a more personal gathering of friends who agree at least enough to not be arguing all the time about basic positions. But I think the way to that is through this more open approach. I won't be able to assemble my Garden of Friends until I meet them.