Thoughts and Discussion on Organizing Epicurean Community

Is what you are talking about not basically a "Rotary" or "Lions" or "Kiwanis" or other "men's club?" And if so they have existing infrastructure that would help you get started?

Thanks for your reply.

Might be some parallels, I suppose, to older fraternal societies; but then it wouldn't be anything that is about my feelings or initative and joy in starting, or my friendships and goals I have with friends and intentions. I also have very little trust or faith in my community, men in particular, or its institutions to take the time to explore them.

Also many older fraternals vet people for belief in a transcendental God or vet people for their values which would likely be opposed to mine and Epicurean values; and at the end of the day are they friends in any real sense or friends based on obligation and form rather than feeling; if even that? I am skeptical such things can happen given my experience in trying Church communities.

Which I presume takes you back to needing to identify a list of core commonalities between you and the other prospective participants in a local society. unfortunately "we all just want to be happy" as a goal doesn't produce enough specificity when the meaning of "happy" and the path to get there have so many variations.

Quote from Adrastus

I also want to make the aesthetic choice to have it be a "Men's" group explicitly in the title in the same way the Boy Scouts allows girls if they really want to be there and fit in.

I would find it hard to square that circle. The Garden was famously open to everyone: friends, strangers; men, women; enslaved, free. That was one of the criticisms against it back in the day. Saying you want to explicitly create a "men's" group but would "allow" women "if they really want to be there and fit in" seems to go against the egalitarian nature of the Garden. I would find it hard to think of women who would want to join an explicitly "men's" group with that aim in its title. That said, if you want to create an Epicurean Men's Study Group, by all means, that's up to you and it could have its place. But I find the idea that women would be allowed if they fit in to be a little problematic.

The Boy Scouts example is actually a good example of why not to do this. In an article from 2024: "starting in February of 2025, the entire organization will become Scouting America to reflect its commitment to serving all genders in all programs." So the entire organization is now Scouting America to be more inclusive.

Hmm... Duly noted with the critiques though I think Cassius 's comment I will take as a mischaracterization which is totally fair as I am not ordered or disciplined in the way I express myself, especially when it comes to exploratory thoughts and my meaning is anything but clear; and Don 's being the nature of the culture I live in and the sort of folks I am wanting to bring to Epicurean philosophy that makes me want to make that choice. I don't think it's welcome to explain my history with this community in radically egalitarian contexts like communal housing, worker collectives and so forth, and the problems that arose around gender and my lack of desire to have those sorts of conversations with people in real life while trying to defend a way of life that I love. The men I am interested in "organizing" are not ideologically egalitarian and probably have a more or less degree of sexism. I would love to have a big party and everyone's invited, but the pursuit of philosophy in the workplaces I am in... where a month ago a man stabbed another and the police had to shoot him... to speak frankly; are the sort of places I am going to try to gently pluck the goodly men from. Cultivating pleasure in loving and wanting to support the working life of a stranger could be a good starting point to build off those men that may lean into mentor and training roles in the work place; or are just good natured but hardened from the workplace or from unpleasant men.

Maybe we take the Boy Scouts course... gather men under the banner and 'philosophize them', and then move from there once a promising "male" culture is established.

Thank you both for your comments and allowing me to refine my thoughts around this.