Movie: TBA

Place: Student Building 150

Movie: TBA

Place: Student Building 150

Location: Sassafras Room

Description: Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher (among other things), is the namesake of our biweekly discussion meetings.  They are called tea parties to honor the religious analogy he came up with called Russell’s Teapot, which stated

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.

Though this analogy is a parody of religion, our group does not debate or even discuss religion at every meeting.  Our topics range from political to religious to philosophical to scientific.  We have discussed evolution, morality, education, and other topics.

If you have ideas or suggestions for future Russell’s Tea Party topics, please post them on the forum.  Or join us at our next meeting!