What we’re about
Studio 42 is where we have moving conversations about controversial and consequential topics. Join us if you want to improve your active listening, thinking, persuasion, speaking, and dispute resolution skills while becoming more informed about the world.
As media bubbles are getting more isolated and the world is getting more polarized, it is becoming difficult to have productive discussions about controversial subjects. We face great political, economic and environmental challenges, but how can we hope to make progress on them if we cannot even discuss our disagreements reasonably?
The mission of Studio 42 is to bring people together with different backgrounds and opinions to have friendly and substantive discussions about philosophy, science, politics, spirituality and personal development. Discussions are moderated to ensure respectful exchange and to give everyone an equal opportunity to speak. You are welcome to join regardless of your political views, knowledge level or skill level. Participation is optional; you can speak or just listen in.
Studio 42 is not for "winning debates". We come together in the spirit of learning knowledge and skills, and broadening our horizons by hearing a wide range of opinions.
GUIDELINES
This is a conversation not a debate
Please come in the spirit of sharing your opinion, listening to others, and doing your part to create a friendly and productive atmosphere.
This is not a scientific institution
We are here discuss philosophical concepts, opinions and values. We will not argue about the scientific consensus on empirical matters like the veracity of anthropogenic climate change, the effectiveness of COVID vaccines, or the implications of quantum mechanics, to name a few examples.
Evidence
Claims may at any time be held to standards of evidence. We aim to have an open conversation, but also to follow good epistemic practices - to reason methodically from the basis of reliable facts.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Discussion: The QAnon Conspiracy Theory4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
WE ARE NOT A QANON GROUP. PLEASE DO NOT REPORT THIS EVENT.
We are discussing the topic of QAnon. We do not support it.
* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.
* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *
Don't you wish that you could make the world a better place? Don't you think that you should do something to set right the wrongs of our world? Shouldn't you join Donald Trump in his undercover battle against Hillary Clinton, Barack HUSSEIN Obama, George Soros and the Deep State DemocRAT global elitists who secretly control the world and operate Satanic pedophile rings around the globe?
This is QAnon - a conspiracy that has achieved its final form and gone Legendary Super Saiyan. Its adherents believe that this Satanist pedophile ring has operated for a long time, and that Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign specifically as a covert mission to infiltrate the U.S. Government and arrest these pedophiles. They prophesy about a day called "The Storm" where Trump will finally execute his plan and arrest these criminals en masse, thus saving the world, and all the innocent child victims.
It gets weirder the more you read. The conspiracy theory was launched on 4chan by an anonymous person claiming to work within the U.S. Government with "Q" level security clearance. This entity named Q releases information in posts called "Qdrops" which are spread across the internet by followers. But belief is not limited to a small lunatic fringe; several Republican senators and congresspeople have endorsed QAnon, and the President himself has retweeted posts from QAnon affiliated accounts more than 200 times. The lunatics are literally governing the asylum.
Is QAnon just a blip on the radar that will fade away? Or is it part of a continuing trend towards more extreme misinformation and detachment from reality? How should we deal with the segment of our population who believe these bizarre claims and are unwilling or unable to fact-check their news?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day. All opinions are welcome for this friendly, moderated discussion.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.
Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.
This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon
Ideals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.
Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out!
- Discussion: Enshittification4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.
* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *
Enshittification is a term coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022. It describes the cycle whereby online products and services begin by appealing to their users with good quality and pricing, then they abuse their users to increase value to their business users, and finally abuse their business customers to extract more wealth for the shareholders.
Famous examples include Facebook, Google Search and Reddit. Companies like Amazon and Uber begin by pricing at a loss to attract users, dominate the market to raise prices.
Are we doomed to live in a world that financially incentivizes the worst businesses? Are there alternative businesses or business practices that can break this trend? How do you feel about living in the enshittocene era?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day. All opinions are welcome for this friendly, moderated discussion.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.
Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.
This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification
Social Quitting, by Cory Doctorow
Ideals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.
Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out!
- Discussion: "Free" "Speech" + 6th Anniversary!!4671 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC
* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.
* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *
Let's celebrate the 6th anniversary of this Meetup group!!
Free speech has long been held up as one of the foundational elements in any free, democratic, and civilized society. Allowing people to say unpopular opinions gives a voice to the underprivileged by protecting their right to speak against those in power, who might otherwise oppress them. Although we shudder when we must protect the speech rights of the hateful and the misinformed, we accept it as a necessary evil in protecting everyone's rights.
But will this concept of free speech deliver on its promise? We live in liberal, progressive times and we protect the free speech rights of Nazis and conspiracy theorists. If the balance of power shifted to them, would they return the favour, and protect the speech rights of minorities and experts who challenge their views?
Do you believe that free speech advocates want these rights for everyone, or only those they agree with? Do you believe in the "free market of ideas"? Is free speech OK?
Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day. All opinions are welcome for this friendly, moderated discussion.
How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.
Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.
Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.
This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.
Suggested Reading
Any suggestions?
Ideals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/idealsAdmission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.
Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out!