Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium, February 19, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How to counter misinformation. Is it possible?” Organizer: Daphne Maurer Suggested background readings: 1.  A comprehensive review with links to videos: J, Roozenbeek, E. Culloty, and J. Suiter, “Countering Misinformation: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Implications of Current  Interventions,” European Psychologist, […]

Colloquium, January 22, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “What is the purpose of education?” Organized by: Mary Finlay Readings: https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/download/8744/6687/26043 https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/purpose-education https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-education/ John Dewey’s Experience and Education, a brief summary of his ideas, can be read on-line here https://dn720204.ca.archive.org/0/items/experienceeducat00dewe_0/experienceeducat00dewe_0.pdf Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at Valens […]

Colloquium, November 13, 2025, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Science and Scientism” Organized by: Phil Sullivan READINGS: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientism 2) https://philosophynow.org/issues/36/What_Can_You_Do_With_Philosophy_Anyway 3) https://scientificandmedical.net/scientism-when-science-becomes-a-religion-by-steve-taylor/ 4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830725000357 5) SCientific Knowlwdge - Copy Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at Valens Restaurants, 19 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1.  Please note, the location is […]

Colloquium, October 16, 2025, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Diversity and Identity in Canada" Organized by: Trevor Lloyd Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at Valens Restaurants, 19 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1.  Please note, the location is approximately a 10 min walk (350.0 m) from […]

Colloquium, September 18, 2025, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only. In-person only Topic: "What makes a City Livable" Organized by: Giuliana Katz Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at Valens Restaurants, 19 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1.  Please note, the location is approximately a 10 min walk (350.0 m) from the […]

Colloquium, February 20, 2025, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Poverty in Canada: causes, effects and solutions. Whose responsibility?" Organized by: Bill Logan and Trevor Lloyd Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at Cafe La Gaffe, 24 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1. The colloquium is at 2pm at the Senior College […]

Colloquium, January 16, 2025, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How do we deal with the crisis in aging?” Organized by Marty Klein Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at Cafe La Gaffe, 24 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1. The colloquium is at 2pm at the Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street […]

Colloquium, November 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “The problems of social media” Organized by: Phil Sullivan Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at Cafe La Gaffe, 24 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1. The colloquium is at 2pm at the Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street in suite 412. […]

Colloquium, October 17, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “The issues about introducing a universal basic income in Canada. How to pay for it and how to administer it.” Organized by: Trevor Lloyd. Readings and a video: https://www.ubiworks.ca/guaranteed-livable-basic-income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_basic_income https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/the-expensive-truth-about-a-universal-basic-income https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2122-001-S--distributional-fiscal-analysis-national-guaranteed-basic-income--analyse-financiere-distributive-un-revenu-base-garanti-echelle-nationale https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=universal+basic+income&mid=4187FCEBDAC64D8805794187FCEBDAC64D880579&FORM=VIRE Additional material: “Sub-sections from Thomas Piketty, Capital in the 21st Century (Harvard […]

Colloquium, September 19, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How to deal with tensions that have erupted on campuses as a result of the war in Gaza? In particular, that means the surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiments.” Organizer: Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior […]

Colloquium, March 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "What can we do about the escalating crisis in Canadian youth mental health since 2020?" Organizer: Cynthia Smith All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will […]

Colloquium, February 15, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Freedom of speech in Academia." Organizers:Pat Brubaker All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will be provided soon. Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at […]

Colloquium, January 18, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "The rise of authoritarian governments." Organizers: Phil Sullivan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings:  1)  Review of Twilight of Democracy  by Anne Applebaum. Following Julian Benda's book  la Trahison des Clercs (i.e Intellectuals) […]

Topic: "How do we recognize historical figures whose record is now seen controversial? The conundrum of statues and naming." Organizers: Trevor Lloyd, Mary Finlay, Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, […]

Topic: "How do we house the homeless?" Organizers: Marty Klein, Cynthia Smith, Bill Logan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1W4 (NB this is on McCaul, just south of Baldwin) […]

Topic: " What is the purpose of school education?" Organizers: Phil Sullivan, Charles Maurer, Ed Barbeau, John Yeomans Readings Alison Lurie, “Do Schools have to be boring?”. New York Review of Books, December 4 and 18, 2008. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2008/12/18/do-schools-have-to-be-boring/ https://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/drking/the-purpose-of-education/ https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/15/01/whats-worth-learning-school https://newlearningonline.com/new-learning/chapter-2/supporting-material-2/ivan-illich-on-deschooling    An additional reading, provided by the Maurers, will be sent out to the registrants on Monday. […]

Colloquium: March 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Can public and private healthcare systems work well together? If so, how? If not, why not?" William Longan's colloquium All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is […]

Colloquium: February 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Title: "Was Colonization Beneficial for the Colonized?" Chair: Martin Klein Colonization has been important in Canada two ways. First, Canada developed as colonies of two European powers, gradually over four centuries becoming a self-governing state. Second, the original inhabitants of Canada formed […]

Colloquium: January 19, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Registration deadline extended to Wednesday, January 18 at 8am Title: “"Educating Voters” Co-chairs and Organizers: Phil SullivanColloquium topic: "Educating voters? How can people be educated about the need to vote? How can they be educated about how to decide for whom to vote? Should they […]

Colloquium: October 20, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Should we censor hate speech and if so, where should we draw the line" Chair: Phil Sullivan Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412. Not on zoom All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. […]

Colloquium: September 15, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412 Title: "Why are people so angry?" Chair: Mary Finlay Reading Colloquium on September 15, 2022 All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. The event will have a restriction of 15 […]