coolkidrox123 says

im in but im lazy so if i get reading material idk if id read it rekt

Ultimately, you get what you put in.

I'd love to be apart of this. As a psychologist myself ^_^

im in but im lazy so if i get reading material idk if id read it rekt

I'm in

I'll post up a google forms for topic submissions sometime this week, been swamped with work. If anybody would like to help on the backend, it would be greatly appreciated. It'll mainly be organizing the schedule, google docs, and the google forms.

Serpinator1317 says

Why does poutine seem to only exist in Canada even though it's delicious and should be available in the USA?

Exploration of food history, food culture, and food as a source of cultural identity would be a very interesting discussion. There are a ton of factors involved.

Townread says

I think a subject in psychology would be a good idea; even survivor/mafia is all about psychology. It's also something I'm interested in, and have my own stances about.
And, as Cody said, you're pretty much f*cked with game theory if you haven't taken a class on it. I have a book that covers some of it; completely above my level.

I'd really like to talk about anything but anime or television; learning is my passion (does not mean i'll just abandon this thing if it comes up, though).

Just looked up and saw that jack suggested emotion, which is a topic that is also very complex. I think this is a very good idea and I really would be down for this kind of discussion.

My only reservation with psychology is that it's incredibly broad and the discussion can quickly degrade into pseudo science informed by really stupid perspectives. If we're going to touch psychology, topic proposals should have a specific focus in mind and the one submitting it should accompany it with some materials/questions germane to the topic at hand.

I think a subject in psychology would be a good idea; even survivor/mafia is all about psychology. It's also something I'm interested in, and have my own stances about.
And, as Cody said, you're pretty much f*cked with game theory if you haven't taken a class on it. I have a book that covers some of it; completely above my level.

I'd really like to talk about anything but anime or television; learning is my passion (does not mean i'll just abandon this thing if it comes up, though).

Just looked up and saw that jack suggested emotion, which is a topic that is also very complex. I think this is a very good idea and I really would be down for this kind of discussion.

Why does poutine seem to only exist in Canada even though it's delicious and should be available in the USA?

evolpz says

lets talk about weed

What about weed?

N1ed says

on which communication platform would this take place

I'll create a google doc for each week after a topic has been finalized. The doc will contain the topic, and select material in the form of videos, articles, and texts. I'll probably propose a bunch of questions relating to the topic for your consideration, whereby reading the material with the questions in mind might help foster the development of your own unique insights regarding the subject matter.

At the end of the week, I'll open a chat room for people to join. You'll join the room, where we'll have an open discussion of the topic in a round table fashion, with myself being the moderator of sorts.
Of course the listed questions don't need to be discussed, and you can propose your own.
the chat room will stay open for a while, until we feel like we've finished the discussion or if we decide to extend the topic into next week.

At the end of the chat room, we can have a public debate and vote on the topics all of you want to discuss next.
I'll also archive the chatroom logs into the google doc for the week for future reference.

In the possibility that demand for this exceeds 25 participants, I'll migrate this into a skype group, which should allow for participants to go through the material together if desired, allowing for an ongoing dialogue with your peers.

Of course if you have questions, you can contact me throughout the week via PM or in the chat rooms I frequent.

My only demand is that you all make a good faith effort to examine the material or topic before the chat room opens and to come with an open mind. Of course, you can and should rigorously defend your opinions, but don't be obstinate about it. Be amenable to new information and new ideas. If I feel like any individual is detracting from the discussion, I'll remove them.

Bebop says

first topic - who is the one true king of westeros and why is it stannis baratheon

lmao, don't think that would be particularly fun to discuss, but what might be interesting is an exploration of why game of thrones is such a compelling story. Particularly through the author's careful navigation of the cornucopia of characters and how takes care to ensure that each character is always moving towards their perceived individual "win conditions". The notion of intelligent character actions.

jack says

i'm so very much in. one topic that i'm intrigued by is emotion, and how it can be so strongly stirred from memories, music, art, etc.

A really complex subject to broach, a possible approach might start with the concept of pathos in regards to the arts and tracing this concept throughout the development of western civilization, by taking into consideration the introduction and adoption and obsolescence of new medium and styles as they emerge typically as a response to a larger cultural problem or truth.

Another, perhaps more scientific or sterile approach might be trying to associate specific patterns in the body of art itself to a corresponding reaction in the brain. Where pleasure derived from art might strictly be derived from the presence of certain patterns or colors or tones. While certainly fascinating in its own regard, it poses a fairly sinister outlook on human perception. Where if we can demonstrate this to be true, machines would in essence be able to create better art than humans, or that the possibility of a perfect piece of art exists, simultaneously relegating humans beings to the status of automata, where input strictly equals output. This approach would probably require a really good understanding of how the human brain works, with a focus on how it responds to stimuli. I definitely would not be qualified to lead this way.

lets talk about weed

likely skype

on which communication platform would this take place

i'm so very much in. one topic that i'm intrigued by is emotion, and how it can be so strongly stirred from memories, music, art, etc.

first topic - who is the one true king of westeros and why is it stannis baratheon

Yo so I was at work today and I thought about this more and I was like. "YAAAAA THATS A REALLY COOL IDEA"

I think since Cosmo is the guy who came up with this, he should decide what our first topic is but hey that's just my opinion :) :) :)

i'm down cosmo my dude

having a discussion about game theory if you haven't taken a class on it is pretty pointless. knowing the math and having done some of the problems is important when it comes to being able to make a coherent argument from a game theoretic standpoint

Game theory is something that I'm fascinated about so I guess sign me up

HardCarry says

Memes would actually be interesting. How virality occurs, what elements of memes capture an audience's attention, range of people who use and understand memes, etc.

Would be really interesting, especially when discussed with both a working definition of a meme throughout history, and the development of technology (printing press, telephones, newspapers, television (MTV), and the internet) with consideration to the percentage of people who had/have access to said technology (particularly in the virality or the speed of the idea or meme). Also the role memes hold in the determination of an era's zeitgeist.

BobbySmith says

Analyzing the lesser known reality competition shows

We can launch into either a discussion of competitive multi player game theory, or a discussion of the human factors present in the game shows, or what qualities a reality competition show must have in order to be successful. The lattermost being a discussion and analysis of the general wants of the populace.

HalseyMartinez says

Maybe humanity? or psychology? Fun stuff to discuss yo.

Too broad, you'll need to narrow it down into an idea or concept that belongs within the jugular of "humanity" or psychology.

Lumaccord says

I'd actually be down to discuss psychology. I plan to major on Psychology at one point so I think it would be an interesting talk on how the human mind works and how it develops.

So here we could discuss the standard nature vs nurture, or chomsky's theory on language development (a foundation on how humans develop their core epistemological system), the chemical or neurological/physical basis for how the mind works and the definition of what a mind is. Could entirely be a discussion on phenomenology/epistemology as well.

I'd actually be down to discuss psychology. I plan to major on Psychology at one point so I think it would be an interesting talk on how the human mind works and how it develops.

Maybe humanity? or psychology? Fun stuff to discuss yo.

Analyzing the lesser known reality competition shows

Memes would actually be interesting. How virality occurs, what elements of memes capture an audience's attention, range of people who use and understand memes, etc.