Thinkers Kopitiam - Malaysia's Largest Practical Philosophy Community
The place where thinkers, philosophy enthusiasts and curious minds gather and create meaningful discussions and connections in Malaysia.
Meet Like-Minded Individuals
Gain lifetime access to a network of like-minded people where you can bounce ideas, ask questions and forge meaningful friendships with via our Telegram channel.
Safe Space for Inclusive Dialogues
No matter your background or identity, the Malaysian Philosophy Society is committed to creating inclusive environments that encourage mutual recognition and equal representation of all voices.
Members-Exclusive Events
Our members get the chance to participate in our members-exclusive events including monthly Thinkers Café and Media Club, philosophical journaling, philosophers meet-and-greet sessions, among others.
National & International Opportunities
Participate in exclusive philosophy opportunities from speaking engagement and publication, to facilitation, and more, by joining our committee, or sign up for our free membership to be part of Malaysia’s largest philosophy community.
Join Thinkers Café - Our Monthly Socratic Dialogue Discussions
Our members meet on the Saturdays of the final week of every month for stimulating Socratic dialogue style discussions on practical issues in life and society. Join us to engage in thought-provoking conversations, challenge your perspectives, and make a difference!
We use the Socratic dialogue method in our practical philosophy discussions. The following framework is inspired by both Eastern and Western researchers and organisations including The Philosophy Foundation, ThinkerAnalytix, Kasper Rasmussen (2017), Leslie Stevenson (1970), Hashim Rosnani’s Hikmah Programme, and is refined after years of conducting practical philosophy dialogues within Malaysian context:
- Concept/Problem Definition: Participants explore their understanding of a topic/problem/concept. The discussion typically begins with a real-world problem related to the participants.
- Clarification: Participants clarify the terminologies they use in the discussion.
- Assumption Probing: Participants challenge existing assumptions and biases.
- Evidence Probing: Participants explore supporting evidence or examples of the participants’ perspectives and views.
- Objections Anticipation: Participants evaluate their arguments and consider potential objections to their views or arguments.
- Evaluation: Participants continue the process of evaluation and consider further consequences and implications of their views.
- Reflection: Participants reflect on the purpose of the discussion.
- Action Proposal: Participants discuss on applications and potential solutions to the problem discussed.
Reference:
Hikmah Programme: Hashim, Rosnani. 2017. “P4C in the Context of Muslim Education.” In History, theory and practice of philosophy for children: international perspectives, edited by Saeed Naji and Rosnani Hashim, 170-179. Oxon/New York: Routledge.
Kasper Rasmussen: Rasmussen, Kasper L. 2017. “Nature of Practical Philosophy.” In A Companion to Applied Philosophy. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 10.1002/9781118869109.ch1.
Leslie Stevenson: Stevenson, Leslie. 1970. “Applied Philosophy.” Meta Philosophy 1 (3): 256-267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9973.1970.tb00605.x.
The Philosophy Foundation: https://www.philosophy-foundation.org
ThinkerAnalytix: https://thinkeranalytix.org
