What we’re about
The BIG IDEAS book club is a monthly meetup for members wanting to discuss important or intriguing ideas and issues in society and our lives. Originally called the 'Phil-Psyc' book club, the discussions include not only big ideas in philosophy and psychology but also from economics, politics, sociology, and science.
Each month a big idea or key thinker will be selected for discussion. For example, a topic could be something like ’free will’, ‘identity’, ’meritocracy’, ‘the simulation hypothesis’, ’post-capitalism’, etc. Similarly, the key thinker could be someone like ‘Carl Jung’, ‘Michel Foucault’, ‘Daniel Kahneman’, etc.
For each topic, a key book and video material will be suggested. The attendees are not required to have read/watched these in order to attend and are welcome to engage in their own reading/viewing material. However, I do strongly encourage reading the set book as it helps in creating focal points for the discussion.
This monthly Meetup will be hosted by Paul T. Many thanks to Dr Steve Mayers who started this book club (and who also started Café Psychologique Sydney) but who unfortunately has moved on from Sydney. Hopefully, the meetup organizer pool will expand so as not to rely on one person.
During the post-Covid restart of this book club (late 2023), it may take some time to find a favourite meeting venue, and hopefully members will have some promising ideas on venues. Being relatively quiet, having food and drink, being approximately central to Sydney and close to public transport are at least four criteria that make sense to me. As a starting place, we can test the 2nd floor (one below the rooftop) of the Keg & Brew Hotel, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills. It’s close to Central Station and the light rail. But make sure to check the actual event location.
Come along and join in the conversation!
Keywords: Book club, philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, science, critical thinking, intellectual discussions, conversation.
Upcoming events
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Beyond the Swipe: What Can Behavioural Science Teach Us About Dating?
Keg & Brew Hotel, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, NS, AUWith Valentine's Day on the horizon, our February meetup dives into the question that keeps many singles up at night: why is modern dating so difficult? Are people making the same predictable mistakes—swiping endlessly through apps, agonizing over whether there's really a "spark", and wondering if the perfect person is just one more profile away? True to form for the Big Ideas Book Club, we won't settle for platitudes and pop psychology! Instead, we will dig into the behavioural science behind romantic choices. Can understanding our cognitive biases and cultural narratives help us make better dating decisions and find lasting love, or is it all just a matter of numbers and luck?
So join us to discuss the surprising psychology behind dating decisions, debate whether you’re secretly a "Romanticizer", "Maximizer" or "Hesitater", and discover why the best relationships might be built rather than discovered. Everyone is welcome—whether you're single, dating, partnered, or just fascinated by human behaviour.
Book: How to Not Die Alone – The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love (2021) by Logan Ury
In our book this month, Logan Ury offers a practical, science-backed guide to modern dating that helps readers overcome self-sabotaging patterns and find lasting love through what the author calls ‘intentional love’. Drawing on her background as a Harvard-trained behavioural scientist and her role as Director of Relationship Science at Hinge, Ury argues that great relationships are built through deliberate choices rather than discovered by chance. She provides readers with tools to identify their dating blind spots, recognize what truly matters in a long-term partner beyond superficial qualities, and navigate the overwhelming landscape of modern dating—from dealing with too many online options to overcoming the tendency to endlessly search for someone "better."
The book offers actionable strategies for each stage of the relationship journey, from getting ready to date to deciding whether to commit, all while emphasizing that successful relationships require effort, self-awareness, and a willingness to work through challenges rather than giving up when things aren't perfect.
As always, we strongly encourage you to read the book before attending—it will enrich both your experience and our collective discussion. We've also included links below to interviews and podcasts with Logan that explore her research and ideas.
Join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 2nd February, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (two flights up). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail.
We look forward to seeing you there!
P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist.
P.P.S. Please adjust your email notification settings (particularly the 'Event updates from organizers' in the Big Ideas Book Club settings). This is useful for receiving any final details or late changes to the event.
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These are just optional links to consider. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section.
Audio-Visual
- Podcasts with Logan Ury:
How to Not Die Alone - Chris Williamson interview (1.1 hrs)
How to Make Dating Not Suck (40 mins)
Unlock the Secret to Building Strong Relationships (2 hrs)
How to Not Die Alone – Eli Finkel (1hr)
- Netflix: The Later Daters (2024) - Logan serves as the dating coach helping singles over 55 find love (8 episodes)
Written
- Summaries of the book:
Eric Sandroni Summary
Triple J Article
- YouGov Australia survey articles on dating:
Which dating app’s best for Aussies looking for a fling vs life partner?
Why are some singles in Australia hesitant about dating apps?
What Aussies want in a romantic partner
- Hinge and eHarmony Dating Research Reports:
Hinge Research and Advice
eHarmony Research and Advice
- Some evidence favouring meeting IRL over online:
Couples who meet online less happy in love
- The 2025 Dating Trends Wrapped:
Bumble’s 2025 Global dating Trends
Tinder’s Year in Swipe 2025
How love, sex and AI converged in a pivotal year.54 attendees
Should Billionaires Exist? The Case Against Extreme Wealth
Keg & Brew Hotel, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, NS, AUIs it possible to be too rich? We often celebrate the super-rich as great innovators and heroes of industry — but what if their very existence is making the world less fair and less free? This March, the Big Ideas Book Club takes on a deliberately provocative claim: that billionaires shouldn't exist. It's a radical idea, but one worth examining carefully. The book we'll be discussing argues that this claim isn't driven by envy, but by evidence that extreme wealth undermines democracy, accelerates climate breakdown, rests far more on luck than merit, and diverts resources desperately needed to meet urgent collective challenges. Even if you instinctively disagree, the case is serious, evidence-based, and challenges common assumptions. Join us for a thoughtful, open discussion about wealth, power, and where we might draw the line — and if any billionaires come along, please feel free to buy a round of drinks for the group!
Book: Limitarianism – The Case Against Extreme Wealth (2024) by Ingrid Robeyns
In this month's book, Ingrid Robeyns, a professor of political philosophy and ethics at Utrecht University, builds a case that's both philosophically rigorous and grounded in real-world evidence. She examines how massive fortunes are accumulated—often through inheritance, luck, and public infrastructure rather than individual merit alone—and traces the consequences of that concentration through democratic institutions, climate policy, and social cohesion. Robeyns doesn't just critique; she proposes concrete alternatives, including what a "riches line" (the upper limit on personal wealth) might look like and how such a system could work in practice. Whether you're curious about the ethics of billionaire philanthropy, sceptical about wealth taxes, or wondering how extreme inequality affects everyone (including the super-rich themselves), this book offers a framework for thinking through questions that usually go unexamined. It's written for general readers, not academics, making complex ideas accessible without dumbing them down.
As always, we strongly encourage you to read the book before attending. Having read it will enrich both your experience and our collective discussion. We’ve also put links below to further resources on the topic.
So join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 2nd March, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail.
We look forward to seeing you there!
P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to others, especially if there is a waitlist.
P.P.S. Please adjust your email notification settings (particularly the 'Event updates from organizers' in the Big Ideas Book Club settings). This is useful for receiving any final details or late changes to the event.
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These are just optional links to consider. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section.
Audio-Visual
Presentations and interviews with Robeyns:
A Short Webinar Presentation (first 20mins)
Gresham College Presentation (1hr)
USA Today Interview (15mins)
Novara Media Interview (1hr)
Other explainer videos on the problems on extreme wealth:
Robert Reich - Should We Abolish Billionaires?
A short explainer video of Limitarianism (2mins)
Why billionaires should be ILLEGAL
Written
Summaries of the book:
SoBrief Summary
Article by Robeyns
Book Reviews:
The Guardian
Stewart Lansley Book Review
Erasmus Journal Book Review15 attendees
Past events
38
Group links
Organizers
Members
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