Join us on the first Wednesday of every month!
Next event is 4 September at Little Andromeda (Note the venue!)
4 September Speakers
“Shifting Paradigms”
by Dan Burgess-Milne
What are paradigms and how do they alter our understanding of the world? We will explore the paradigmatic transition from Billiard ball mechanics to relativity, and the mysterious world that was revealed. We will then explore the next frontier in epistemological evolution and how we might be able to challenge outdated paradigms and embrace new ways of understanding reality.
Dan has been studying and teaching meditative contemplation for 12 years. He holds a degree in Leadership for Change and works in various ways to support people to investigate and question the nature of reality.
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“Defeating Dr Evil with Self-Locating Belief”
by Doug Campbell
Dr Evil is ensconced in an impregnable battle station on the moon. He is about to press a big red button to launch missiles that will blow up the Earth. The poor people of Earth appeal to the Philosophical Defence Force (PDF) to stop him. Will the PDF be able to save the day? If so, how? Come to this gripping talk to find out!
Doug Campbell is a father of three, the owner of two badly behaved dogs, two badly behaved love birds, and a quite well behaved rabbit, and a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Canterbury where the topics he teaches include the existential threat to humanity posed by certain emerging technologies.
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“New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme: a climate change solution, or just hot air?”
by Tom Mohammed
As the nations of the world attempt to reduce emissions within the confines of established economic systems, “carbon markets” have emerged as a market-based tool intended to incentivise emissions reductions while applying principles and concepts from the capitalist rulebook. In New Zealand, the result of this is the Emissions Trading Scheme, which has been in place since 2008 and which continues to change in scope and effect as Governments come and go. In this talk we will talk about how what the Emissions Trading Scheme is intended to do, how it works, and whether it is achieving its purposes.
Tom Mohammed is a lawyer at Anderson Lloyd who specialises in regulation and who advises both emitters and carbon sequester-ers on their obligations (and opportunities) under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and the Emissions Trading Scheme. As someone who is personally passionate about the earth remaining habitable, he is more than happy to talk your ear off on New Zealand’s regulatory response to the climate crisis and the issues that New Zealand (and the world) continue to grapple with in this space.