Not this, Not That: A Dialogue on Knowing Reality
About the event
We tend to assume the world comes pre-divided: self and other, mind and body, knower and known. Non-dualist traditions — Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and others — question that assumption at the root, using methods like neti-neti ("not this, not that") to peel away every distinction the mind adds, in search of what's left when the peeling stops.
That raises a real tension worth sitting with. Most of Western philosophy tends to work within the subject-object divide — refining how we know reality rather than questioning whether the divide is real to begin with. Non-dualism asks the more radical question: what if the boundary itself is the thing to look past?
We won't resolve that tension in one evening — but we'll use it as a starting point for genuine inquiry.
We'll structure the conversation using Socratic Rules of Engagement — norms for real philosophical inquiry:
• No view is off-limits • Arguments are met with arguments — not deflection, not silence • Challenge is offered and received as friendship, not attack • Candor isn't punished; easy consensus is treated with suspicion • Humility over certainty — no speeches, no debate tactics
Some questions we might sit with: • Is the sense of being a separate self something real, or something constructed? • Can two traditions disagree about "ultimate reality" and still both be onto something? • Does removing a boundary answer a question, or just make it impossible to ask? • Can something be known if there's no longer a knower separate from it?
Whether you come from a contemplative background, a philosophy background, or pure curiosity — your perspective matters. This is for anyone willing to listen as much as they speak, and to have their own view questioned in turn.
Space is limited to keep conversations intimate — reserve your spot below.
