Two philosophers sit down to think out loud about a question at the heart of our work: What does public philosophy do? Does it change how people listen to one another? Does it shift how a community understands itself? What happens when thinking becomes something shared rather than hidden? And what possibilities emerge when ordinary places become places of wonder?
About the Speakers:
Kaarina Beam
Works where philosophy meets everyday life. Her focus on social and political philosophy, applied ethics, and philosophy of education gives her a way of looking at how communities form, how people live together, and how our choices shape the worlds we share.
When she taught abroad in China, Nepal, India, and Bhutan, she carried this same curiosity forward, exploring how different cultures approached questions of responsibility, belonging, and shared life. Her thinking turns toward the places where philosophy touches public experience, where pluralism stretches us, and where learning becomes a way of engaging the world rather than stepping outside it.
Seth Tichenor
Local philosopher Seth has been exploring how people think, learn, and change through shared conversation here in Astoria for more than a decade. His background and training are in comparative philosophy, especially South Asian traditions, but his lifelong project is local: helping our community discover what becomes possible when people think together. Seth’s approach is rooted in curiosity, stories, and the belief that philosophy belongs in everyday life.
Doors open at 6pm, talk begins at 7pm, Q&A follows. Food and drink available. Every talk hopes to be the beginning of a longer conversation.
Also check out other Workshops in Astoria.
