School of Philosophy | Melbourne

Philosophy and Happiness (Mine and other peoples)

Friday, 12th February 2010

By Dr. Stephen McKenzie

Is happiness our natural state?  If it is, and we’re not, what can we do about it?
Is it dependent on getting a hit from the latest sugar loaded, high caffine energy drink, or does the kind of philosophy stuff you hear about around here actually help?

Drag yourself and whoever else was going to flop down in front of the TV on Friday night towards the bright lights at Croydon, and join a happy company of the philosophically minded to investigate these eternally relevant questions.

Dr. Stephen McKenzie will talk about some of the major philosophical traditions - Vedic, Plato, Buddhist and some modern philosophers including Echart Tolle -  with the aim to extracting the active ingredient of what philosophy has to say on how we can be happier.

Event Details

Time: 7.30 pm until 9 pm, followed by refreshments
Location: 'Silver Birches', Wyreena Community Centre, 13–29 Hull Rd. Croydon (Melway 51 B3)
Cost: $5 per person
Bookings: Ring 9758 9369
Availability: Open to all

Spiritual Goals - Oxymoron or useful reality?

Friday, 6th November 2009

By Philippa Street

The Croydon School warmly invites students and their friends and family to spend one of their valuable Friday evenings in the good company of fellow human beings, and delve together into the wonders of philosophical inquiry.

Are you game to take up the question posed by Mrs Philippa Street in the title above, and see where it might lead?

Or are you a philosophical chicken?

To say anything more might be giving the game away…

Event Details

Time: 7.30 pm until 9 pm, followed by refreshments
Location: 'Silver Birches', at the Wyreena Community Centre, 13–29 Hull Rd. Croydon (Melway 51 B3)
Cost: $5 per person
Availability: Open to all.

A Musical Journey

Friday, 2nd October 2009

By Peter Carthew

The Croydon School warmly invites you to join the good company at the next cultural evening presentation, as Peter Carthew—piano teacher, music therapist and recitalist—shares his passion for music as he leads us through A Musical Journey.     

What better time than Spring, when fresh new buds are unfurling into the light, to reconnect with your own inner beauty through music, the universal language of heart and mind!

This annotated musical journey at the piano will travel through Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century Repertoire.

The program will include:

• Chopin’s Barcarolle
• Debussy’s Clair de Lune
• Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood
• Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet No.123

...as well as music by Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Sculthorpe, and Messiaen.

Event Details

Time: 7.30 pm until 9 pm, followed by refreshments
Location: 'Catamore Hall', Wyreena Community Centre, 13–29 Hull Rd. Croydon (Melway 51 B3)
Cost: $5 per person
Bookings: Ring 9758 9369 and specify name and number attending.
Notes: Seating is limited; booking is necessary to ensure a seat.
Availability: Open to all

Meditation ~ a journey home

Friday, 7 August, 2009

By Gordon Walker

What is meditation?
Why meditate?
What can I gain from meditation?

It would seem that we live in troubled times. Newspapers are filled with “doom and gloom.” The Global Financial Crisis, unemployment, global warming, drought, wars and the list goes on.

At the individual level, the pulls and strains of modern life can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Our minds can be full of doubts, concerns and worries, so much so that we just want a little peace, a little rest.

But where can we turn in order to gain some peace and rest? Meditation has been described as the master key to growth and development. It leads to peace and contentment even in the most troubled times.

Meditation is a universal practice that has been practised by man for hundreds of years. It has also been described as a journey home.

What is the journey? What is “home”? These questions will be examined in full as part of the presentation.

This is an introductory presentation on meditation and is offered to anyone who has an interest in the topic. It will be delivered by Gordon Walker who has been a student in the School for 18 years. This evening is highly recommended for those students not yet introduced to the practice of meditation.

The Croydon School warmly invites students, family and friends to attend an informative presentation on meditation. The School of Philosophy in Melbourne has been offering the practice of meditation since the 1970s, and there has been an uninterrupted practice of meditation in the School since then.

Event Details

Time: 7.30 to 9 pm (followed by refreshments)
Location: 13–19 Hull Rd, Croydon (Melway 51 B3)
Cost: Free!
Notes: Please bring some food or drink to share during the refreshment period.
Availability: Open to all.

Living Within Our Means: A Case Study of One Householder’s Water and Energy Use in Melbourne

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

By Broderick Street, a sustainability expert

While most of Melbourne’s householders struggle with new water saving targets, Broderick Street’s home in Hawthorn is an inspiration on how to save water and energy, using only one third the amount of city water used by the average home, and generating less than 1 tonne of greenhouse gases per year.

His home is a national case study of how to use water fit-for-purpose, reducing all forms of waste in a small property of 200 square metres.

This talk will explore:

• typical water and energy use patterns;
• a methodical approach to changing those patterns;
• what has worked, what has not worked, and else could be done.

Event Details

Time: 7.30 pm until 9 pm, followed by refreshments.
Location: Catamore Hall (next to Silver Birches at the Wyreena Community Centre), 13–29 Hull Rd, Croydon [Melway 51 B3]
Cost: $5 per person.
Availability: Open to all.