What is Important?
Utrecht/Amsterdam Philosophical Society: Discussion & Lecture Events
Utrecht/Amsterdam Philosophical Society: Discussion & Lecture Events
We are a philosophical society that organises meetups for students who want to think together about the big questions—What really matters in life? Does God exist? What is love?—as well as more academically philosophical questions such as Is morality objective? and How do we know we are not dreaming right now?
We currently have about 250 members, mostly non-philosophy students. Our events take place in Amsterdam and Utrecht. All events are in English.
We run two main kinds of events:
Lecture events
The first half of the evening is a lecture; the second half is a discussion.
Discussion events
These consist entirely of discussion. Some are formatted (we discuss specific questions, often in smaller groups that change composition according to a format), and others are unformatted (more open, free-flowing conversation).
Our aim is to explore deep topics in an accessible and fruitful way, while building genuine social connections.
Practical details
Typical duration: 2 hours
Typical attendance: 10–80 people (hard to predict beforehand)
You are always welcome to bring friends
No prior philosophy background is required. You’re welcome to contribute actively, or just listen at first—both are normal. The vibe is friendly, welcoming, and curious.
We aim for a space that is open, thoughtful, and welcoming. We expect respectful engagement, charity in interpretation, and confidentiality by default. Harassment is not tolerated; if something goes wrong, please contact the organisers. We also don’t take or share photos without explicit consent, and we ask people not to quote others publicly without permission.
Our community lives in our WhatsApp groups. We have groups for:
Event announcements
Online discussions
Studying together
Our WhatsApp community is where almost all coordination and activity happens—this website is mainly for people who first want to learn more about What is Important? before joining the WhatsApp community. So, please share this website with friends who might be interested!
Join the WhatsApp community here (our WhatsApp community has about 250 members):
https://chat[dot]whatsapp[dot]com/ClAwUF6jihKBmW6WHYCFxn
(Replace [dot] with a “.”)
If you prefer emailing, please email:
david[dot]zuilhom[at]gmail[dot]com
(Replace [dot] with “.” and [at] with “@”.)
We are a free society and are made possible through donations and institutions offering free services to us. If you want to support us, you can donate at events—there is often a QR code you can scan.
These give a sense of the kinds of topics and formats we do (all from 2023-2024):
Is there one “true logic”? (logical pluralism) — 7 Sept, 15:30, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam at the StudentenD0k: https://www.illc.uva.nl/NewsandEvents/Events/Upcoming-Events/newsitem/14462/7-September-2023-Logical-pluralism-discussion
What really matters in life? — 26 September, 19:00, Café De Tussentijd (Utrecht)
Mysticism / Meditation (“Philosophy of Spirituality” event) — 7 July, 15:00, Plompetorengracht 3 (Utrecht)
Philosophy in the evening sun BBQ — 29 June, 15:30, IBB 65 / IBBoom (Utrecht)
Who are you? — 23 May, 16:00–20:00, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam at the StudentenD0k
Love and Death — 4 May, 15:15, Plompetorengracht 3 (Utrecht)
Relation between logic and reality with dr. Korbmacher— 1 March, 17:15, Janskerkhof 13, room 0.06 (Utrecht)
Purpose of life & God’s existence with Prof. Van Der Stoep— 17 March, 15:15, Plompetorengracht 3 (Utrecht)
Affiliated with FUF (Utrecht philosophy study association).