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Welcome to Café Philo DC, a twice-monthly, moderated philosophical "debate" by and for the general public. Founded in 1999, Café Philo DC currently hosts (i) an *in-person meeting* on the 2nd Saturday of each month, (ii) a *video meeting* on the 4th Saturday of each month, and (iii) an *online discussion* , CafePhiloDC Dialogue, on our website & by email during the weeks before (and sometimes continuing after) each meeting.  The meetings are usually held on Saturday from 1-3 PM.  Each meeting is followed by an *Apres Philo* social gathering.  The in-person meetings are normally held at the West End public library in Washington, DC; the video meetings are held by Webex video conference; and the online discussion is at groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ( https://groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ).  All are welcome to attend.  (Please keep your comments civil, of course, and respect the decisions of the meeting moderator.) Café Philo DC is animated by the question: "If politics is too important to be left to the politicians, then isn't thinking too important to be left to any authority other than your own mind?"  This philosophy forum is organized by yours truly, University of Chicago philosophy graduate Ken Feldman.  All are welcome, and no formal background in philosophy is required -- just an innate curiosity about the vexing questions of life.  I ask only that you keep your comments lucid, civil (i.e., stick to content and refrain from gratuitous ad hominem attacks on fellow members) and, most importantly, tenaciously "philosophical" (i.e., leave the non-philosophical, strictly political and religious commentary, for example, to other, more appropriate groups and fora). Notices of, and background material for, Café Philo DC meetings are posted here on our website, at cafephilodc.groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC ( https://cafephilodc.groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC ) , along with being sent to subscribers by e-mail.  Thank you for your interest. Best regards, Ken Feldman Founder & Organizer Café Philo DC and CafePhiloDC Dialogue Further details: 1. *Overview*.  Please add CafePhiloDC@groups.io to your Contacts list, Address Book, Safe Contacts list, etc., so that our emails don't get marked as spam. By default, subscribers receive (i) *email notices of upcoming meetings* , which arrive two Sundays before, the Monday before, and the Saturday of the meeting, and (ii) a *background email* on the Friday night before the meeting. Note that any *replies* that you make to the email notices will be *posted* on the website and *emailed* to all those who have elected to receive member posts by email (even if you yourself do not receive such emails).  To instead contact the moderators directly, without posting to the whole group, use the Group Owner link at the bottom of the notice email. *CafePhiloDC Dialogue* member posts are available either at groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ( https://groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ) or by email.  Please ask the moderators, using the Group Owner link at the bottom of any email, if you would like to change your subscription settings to receive member posts by email.  You can opt to receive (i) each post by individual email (from 10-40/week), (ii) multiple posts collected in a Digest (about 5/week), (iii) a daily Summary, or (iv) by default, only the moderator notices of upcoming meetings (9/month). You may also post messages to CafePhiloDC Dialogue by replying to any email from a moderator or member (but not a Digest or Summary).  (Again, any such replies go to the whole group, not just the moderator or member.)  In addition, you can log into the website in order to post messages directly or to change your subscription settings (see item 5 below). You may *unsubscribe* from Café Philo DC using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each notice email, or by sending an email (no text needed) to CafePhiloDC+unsubscribe@groups.io. 2. *Meeting Notices*. The following email notices are distributed before each in-person or video meeting: - *Online members* (ie, those subscribed to receive member posts by email) are emailed a notice with the topic, time, and location (or a link for video meetings) at 1 PM *two Sundays before* the meeting (13 days ahead). - *All subscribers* are emailed the same notice at 1 PM on the *Monday before* the meeting (5 days ahead). -   All subscribers also receive a *background email* with the name of the moderator and some (entirely optional) reading material on the *Friday night* before the meeting. -   All subscribers are again emailed the meeting notice at 8 AM on the *Saturday* of the meeting (5 hours ahead). -   For *video meetings* only, all subscribers are also emailed the same notice (which contains the meeting link) on Saturday at 12:55 PM (5 minutes ahead). Please let the moderators know if you don't receive one of these emails.  These notices may also be found on the website via the CafePhiloDC link further below. 3. *Subscribing*.  To receive our moderator emails providing notice and background information for upcoming meetings, you must be subscribed to the Café Philo DC email distribution list. You can subscribe in several ways: (i)  Send an email (no text needed) to CafePhiloDC+subscribe@Groups.io ; (ii)  Reply by email (no text needed) to an email invite sent to you by the moderators through Groups.io; (iii)  Select the 'accept the invitation' link at the bottom of an email invite sent to you by the moderations through Groups.io (this option allows you to change your subscription preferences as you subscribe); (iv)  On the home page of the groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC website, select either the Sign Up button in the upper right corner of the page (in a drop-down menu on a phone) or the blue +Join this Group button at the bottom of the page (this option requires to verify your email address, and you will also be able to set a password and change your subscription preferences); or (v)  Ask the moderators to add you directly to the Café Philo DC email distribution list. In addition, it is *very important* to add CafePhiloDC@groups.io to your email Contacts list, Address Book, Safe Contacts list, etc. (depending on your email provider and settings), so that Café Philo DC emails do not go into your spam folder. The *default setting* for new subscribers is to receive by email *only* the moderator announcements with meeting notices, etc.  You can also elect to receive all member posts by email as described in item 5 below. Note that any *replies* that you make to the moderator notices will be *posted* on the website and *emailed* to all those who have elected to receive member posts by email (even if you yourself do not receive such emails).  To instead contact the moderators directly, without posting to the whole group, use the Group Owner link at the bottom of the notice email. You may *unsubscribe* from Café Philo DC using the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each notice email, or by sending an email (no text needed) to CafePhiloDC+unsubscribe@groups.io. 4. *CafePhiloDC Dialogue*.  Café Philo DC also hosts CafePhiloDC Dialogue, an online discussion forum at groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ( https://groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/topics ). ( https://groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC. ) Anyone can view CafePhiloDC member posts on the website. Most people participate in CafePhiloDC by email.  See the next two sections regarding (i) receiving posts by email and (ii) posting by email. You may also log in to the website, using your email address and password, in order to (i) post messages directly from the website or (ii) edit your email delivery options or other subscription preferences.  If you have not already set up a password, then the first time you log in you will be sent an email with a link to let you do so. CafePhiloDC also has a subgroup, MorePhilo, that may be used for more frequent or less philosophical exchanges (see item 8 below). 5. *Receiving Posts by Email*.  Please ask the moderators, using the Group Owner link at the bottom of any email, if you would like to change your *subscription settings* to receive CafePhiloDC member posts by email.  You can opt to receive (i) each post by individual email, (ii) multiple posts collected in a periodic Digest, (iii) a daily Summary, or (iv) by default, only the moderator notices of upcoming meetings.  If you only want to receive the moderator notices then you don't need to do anything.  If you subscribe to receive CafePhiloDC posts by individual email then by default you will also receive MorePhilo posts (see item 8 below) collected in a periodic Digest. As noted above, any *replies* that you make to moderator notices or member posts will be *posted* on the website and *emailed* to all those who have elected to receive member posts by email (even if you yourself do not receive such emails).  To instead contact the moderators directly, without posting to the whole group, use the Group Owner link at the bottom of the notice email. If you receive individual emails but don't want to get any more member posts on a specific topic, then you can 'mute' that topic using one of the links at the bottom of any email you receive on it.  (Note, however, that member posts sometimes start a new topic thread on the same general topic, so you may have to do this more than once.) You can also change your email delivery options directly on the website.  To do so, go to the Home page ( cafephilodc.groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC ( https://cafephilodc.groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC ) ) or the Messages page, log in (see item 4 above), and either select Subscription (in the left-hand column on a larger screen or in the More menu at the bottom right on a smaller one) or if you can't find that then select this link to groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/editsub ( https://groups.io/g/CafePhiloDC/editsub ).  You can calibrate the number or frequency of emails you receive, such as getting them individually, collected in a periodic Digest, or in a daily Summary; receiving replies only to topics you have commented upon; or muting certain topics or hashtags entirely.  You can also choose to receive only notices from the moderators (but you cannot choose to receive no emails at all, except by unsubscribing). 6. *Posting by Email*.  You may participate in the CafePhiloDC Dialogue online forum by posting messages that may be viewed on the website and are distributed by email to other members of the group who have elected to receive member posts by email. You can post a message to CafePhiloDC by *replying* to a moderator or member email (other than a Digest or Summary) received via Groups.io.  Messages posted by email will appear on the website and will also be distributed by email to those members who have set their email delivery options to receive online member posts.  Your message will generally be grouped under the same topic as the message that you replied to (unless you change the Subject line, so please don't).  Under Groups.io's anti-spam procedures, your first post must be approved by the CafePhiloDC moderators, so it may take a few hours to appear. You may instead post a message to CafePhiloDC by sending a new email to CafePhiloDC@groups.io.  But this will start a new topic thread, so in order to contribute to an ongoing discussion it is generally better to reply to an email that you received on the same topic (even if your reply doesn't respond to that post specifically). You may also post messages directly on the website (see item 4 above). CafePhiloDC does not currently support attachments, so instead please either provide a link or else cut & paste an excerpt into your post.  Excerpts and quotations should be clearly identified so that readers can tell--before they read it--that it's not your own argument.  Any excerpts must also be within the bounds of 'fair use' for copyright purposes--please do NOT repost articles, etc., that are not in the public domain.  In any case, your own summary of an argument is almost always better appreciated than a data dump of your reading or research.  Responses from an AI chatbot are also not what most of us are here for. Note that the email address on your posts will be masked (after the @ sign) on the website--but it *will be visible* to other CafePhiloDC subscribers who receive your posts by email--regardless of whether you post them by email or directly on the site and regardless of whether you have set a Display Name.  (Sorry, that's a Groups.io setting, required by various anti-spam filters, that we can't change).  In addition, because someone may include your email in their reply, where your address won't be masked, you should assume that your email address *will appear* on the website. 7. *Frequent Posting Policy*.  The following policy applies to CafePhiloDC online (website & email) posts: -     Each member may post to CafePhiloDC up to *twice a day*.  (That is, up to two times in any one day--unused posts do not accumulate.) -     Each member may *also* post up to *five times a day* on up to *three 'pass' days* within each *2-3 week* period between scheduled Cafe Philo DC meetings (whether in-person or video).  (The five posts allowed on 'pass' days include the two regular daily posts, so the maximum on those days is five posts, not seven.) -     Alternatively, a member may post up to five times a day on up to five 'pass' days in the 4-5 week period between any two in-person meetings or any two video meetings.  (This option is for the convenience of those who may attend only the in-person or the video meetings, in case it makes it easier for you to remember how many 'pass' days you've taken since the last meeting.) -     These limits apply to *all posts* regardless of topic or reason--including corrections, questions, asides, administrative or procedural issues, etc.  (That your extra email is only on a minor point makes it more distracting, not less....) -     Posts to *MorePhilo* (see below) are not subject to and do not count against these limits.  (MorePhilo, which goes to most but not all online members, is also more appropriate for political, administrative, or personal posts.) -     It is *each member's responsibility* to comply with these limits, but if necessary they may be enforced by the online moderators.  (Most people never get close, and we're not here to call line fouls, but anyone who repeatedly ignores the limits may be blocked from posting for some indefinite time, which will increase with each violation.) In other words, you can always post twice a day, but you get to exceed that number on a few 'pass' days--which, however, it's up to you to keep track of.  The aim of this policy is to discourage monopolization of the conversation and the distraction of too many emails, while encouraging substantive and well-considered posts as well as those from less frequent contributors.  We view it as the online equivalent of our moderated in-person and video meetings, where everyone gets a chance to talk, but not to talk over everyone else. 8. *MorePhilo*.  You can also follow or post to MorePhilo, an online subgroup of CafePhiloDC that is intended for more frequent or less philosophical exchanges. MorePhilo is essentially an overflow space for posts that don't fit within CafePhiloDC itself, either because they exceed the Frequent Posting Policy limits or because they concern less philosophical topics.  MorePhilo posts do not count against the Frequent Posting Policy limits, so MorePhilo is good for quick asides as well as for extended or chat-style exchanges.  MorePhilo is also appropriate for current events, politics, foreign policy, etc.; for procedural or administrative issues regarding Café Philo DC or the website; and for thanks, compliments, jokes, and other personal or social remarks. Anyone may view MorePhilo posts on the website at CafePhiloDC.groups.io/g/MorePhilo ( https://CafePhiloDC.groups.io/g/MorePhilo ). In addition, online members who have elected to receive CafePhiloDC posts by individual email are, by default, also subscribed to receive MorePhilo posts by email in a periodic Digest; and m ost of the regular online contributors to CafePhiloDC are subscribed to receive MorePhilo posts by individual email--s o y ou can generally assume that a MorePhilo post will go to all of the active members who are likely to reply to you online, as well as to most of those who receive CafePhiloDC posts by email.  But t hose who receive CafePhiloDC posts only in a periodic Digest, as well as those who receive only moderator notices of upcoming meetings, do not receive MorePhilo emails. (This bifurcated approach is intended to make MorePhilo posts available to those who have subscribed to receive CafePhiloDC posts by email, without burdening those who do not want to get too many emails.) Please ask the online moderators, using the Group Owner link at the bottom of each email, if you want to change your MorePhilo email preferences.  (You can also log into the CafePhiloDC website yourself to join the MorePhilo subgroup or otherwise change your email preferences directly at CafePhiloDC.groups.io/g/MorePhilo/editsub ( https://CafePhiloDC.groups.io/g/MorePhilo/editsub ).) You can post to MorePhilo by replying to a MorePhilo post or by sending an email to MorePhilo@cafephilodc.groups.io. You can also reply to a CafePhiloDC post through MorePhilo (rather than to CafePhiloDC) by deleting the CafePhiloDC address in the To line of your reply email and instead inserting the MorePhilo address. (That address may come up in AutoComplete--but be careful that you don't get a Digest or Summary address, which won't work.)  You can also reverse this, i.e. by responding to a MorePhilo post with a reply that is readdressed to CafePhiloDC. While MorePhilo accommodates a broader range of topics than CafePhiloDC itself, any posts that disparage individuals or groups, promote conspiracy theories, represent political campaigning, or are outside the bounds of respectful civil discourse will be deleted, and offending posters may be blocked temporarily or permanently. If you are subscribed to MorePhilo, please add MorePhilo@CafePhiloDC.groups.io ( MorePhilo@cafephilodc.groups.io ) to your Contacts list, Address Book, Safe Contacts list, etc., so that MorePhilo emails don't get marked as spam. You can unsubscribe from MorePhilo by sending an email (no text needed) to MorePhilo+unsubscribe@CafePhiloDC.groups.io.  Note that this does not unsubscribe you from CafePhiloDC itself, which you have to do separately.  Unsubscribing from CafePhiloDC, however, will also unsubscribe you from MorePhilo. 9. *Privacy and Security*.  The website is public and anyone can view CafePhiloDC posts (although the group is not listed in the Groups.io Public Directory so the website address or a link is usually needed to find it).  The member directory is visible only to moderators.  As noted above, email addresses are masked (after the @ sign) in posts on the website--but your address will not be masked when your post is also distributed to members by email (this is due to anti-spam requirements that we cannot change), and your address is likely to appear (unmasked) on the website when someone else includes your email in their reply. You can modify your Profile to include a Display Name that will appear on your website posts instead of the unmasked part of your email address.  (But your email address will still be visible when your post is distributed by email.)  To modify your Profile, log in to the website, go to the CafePhiloDC Home page or Messages page, select Subscription (in the left-hand column on a larger screen, or in the More menu at the bottom right on a smaller one), and select Group Profile and then Edit Group Profile.  Using an initial or abbreviation for your last name is generally recommended; more obscure handles are also allowed, but for those who also attend the Café Philo DC meetings at least a first name is appreciated so that the rest of us can put a face to your posts. The .io domain is that of the British Indian Ocean Territory and is run by a British company (see Wikipedia).  While Groups.io appears to be quite professional and to make its money by charging organizers, rather than by selling user data, we never know for sure and it's up to you to review their terms of service, privacy policy, etc. in light of your own privacy and security concerns.

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