Discussing & Connecting

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in  libraries, cafés and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime. Join us for lively discussions with Moderator Reema Faris! 

• Monday, January 28
  “Technologies of the Self: A Seminar with Michel Foucault” asks, what are the processes and the technologies, by which we gain knowledge to determine the way we want to be in the world?
   
• Monday, February 25
  In a gender binary world, we construct, support and perpetuate ideals of masculinity and femininity. What are these ideals today and how do we conform or challenge them?
   
• Monday, March 25
  Living in an image-saturated world, gaps emerge between our own sense of self and media representations of an ideal self. How do such representations influence our sense of identity and affect our lives?
   
• Monday, April 29
  In today's consumer capitalist spectacle, celebrities are held up as role models and spokespeople. Why? What are the promises and pitfalls of our obsession with celebrities?
   

Reema Faris is a Ph.D student with the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS) at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Her research focuses on popular culture and feminism. An MA in Graduate Liberal Studies (SFU 2015), she holds a BA in History and Classical Studies from the University of British Columbia (1983) and MBA from the University of Toronto (1990). 

No registration required. Drop in! 

Come practice your English language skills in a fun group of other new speakers.

Meet new people, learn English, and have fun! This program is presented in partnership with the Baha'is of North Vancouver. 

Drop in! No registration required.

• Wednesday, March 27
  Vegetarian India by Madhur Jaffrey

• Wednesday, Apr 24
  Everyday Dorie by Dorie Greenspan

• Wednesday, May 22
  YUM by Theresa Nicassio

The Cookbook of the Month will be available at Capilano Library for you to photocopy the recipes you’d like to try— just ask at the Information Desk!

Join us for a repeat presentation of the MOOC: The Science of Happiness from UC Berkeley.

We all want to be happy, and there are countless ideas about what happiness is and how we can get some. But not many of those ideas are based on science. That’s where this course comes in.  Join us to view lectures and discuss this course

“The Science of Happiness” is the first MOOC to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Created by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, the course will zero in on a fundamental finding from positive psychology: that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social connections and contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater good. No previous MOOC experience required.

Please register online, or, at 604-929-3727, ext. 8166.

Join the Armchair Detective Society: a Book Club for Mystery Lovers! 

This drop in book club is for anyone who loves a good mystery and who also loves talking about them!  Each month we will read and discuss the works of a specific mystery writer.  

Next Meetings:                                                                              

• Novels of Tana French   (all)                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday, March 28 | 3:00pm-4:00pm     

• Novels of Stuart MacBride  (Logan MacRae series)

Thursday, April 25 | 3:00pm-4:00pm 

If you want to read the stories in chronological order (including the short stories and novella) it goes: Cold Granite, Dying Light, Broken Skin, Flesh House, Blind Eye, Dark Blood, DI Steel’s Bad Heir Day, Shatter The Bones, Stramash, Close to the Bone, The 45% Hangover, 22 Dead Little Bodies, The Missing and the Dead, In the Cold Dark Ground, Now we are Dead, and the most recent Logan novel: The Blood Road.

• Novels of Quentin Jardine  (Skinner series)

Thursday, May 23 | 3:00pm-4:00pm 

For further information, call 604-987-4471, ext. 8175.

Join local resident Wayne Smith for some casual Barber-Shop style singing. Wayne will provide lyrics and music for popular songs, mostly from the 40s and 50s, and will provide piano accompaniment.

Free. No registration required. For more info, call 604-929-3727 ext. 8166.

In October of 2018, Canada became the 2nd country in the world to legalize cannabis for recreational use. What does this mean for Canadians?

Join Neil Boyd, Professor and former Director of the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University, and Scott Bernstein, lawyer and Senior Policy Analyst with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, for a discussion of cannabis legalization in Canada. They’ll cover:

• The history of drug prohibition and policies in Canada
• Federal and Provincial roles for drug policy and addressing substance use
• The legalization of cannabis for recreational use and what outcomes Canadians can expect
• The impact of legalization on medical cannabis

Register online or at 604-984-0286, ext. 8144.

About the Presenters

Join us to view lectures and discuss this MOOC (massive open online course) course on Justice. Justice, one of the most famous courses taught at Harvard College, is an introduction to moral and political philosophy, offering an opportunity to discuss contemporary dilemmas and controversies. Using the work of philosophers such as Aristotle, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and John Rawls, the course will  explore a critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice, including discussion of present-day applications. You’ll learn:

• the fundamentals of political philosophy
• an understanding of social justice and criminal justice, and the roles they play in the modern justice system
• a deeper sense of the philosophy that underlies modern issues such as affirmative action, same sex marriage, and equality
• the ability to better articulate and evaluate philosophical arguments and ask philosophical questions

No previous MOOC experience required and no need to commit to the whole course!

Register online or at 604-929-3727, ext. 8166. 

Copies of the first book will be available starting August 23. After that, books will be available after book club meetings in print format. All books are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies of the books are also available in other formats, such as print, ebook, audiobooks, and more. Ask staff to help you find a copy!

Want to receive meeting reminders and information about the books via email?

CLICK REGISTER above or call 604-929-3727, ext. 8166 to provide your email. 

A full schedule for all branches is available here. 

Come practice your English language skills in a fun group of other new speakers.

Meet new people, learn English, and have fun! This program is presented in partnership with the Baha'is of North Vancouver. 

Drop in! No registration required.

Come practice your English language skills in a fun group of other new speakers.

Meet new people, learn English, and have fun! This program is presented in partnership with the Baha'is of North Vancouver. 

Drop in! No registration required.