The University of North Florida’s Philosophy Slams are returning this semester with the theme “Contested Concepts,” inviting students and community members to explore complicated ideas through guest talks and open discussions.

The philosophy slams are events where people can gather to have “intellectual conversations,” according to Jonathan Matheson, the founder of the slams and a philosophy professor at UNF.

A slam begins with a 15-minute talk from a guest speaker about a particular topic and is followed by about an hour of Q&A and discussion, according to Matheson.

This year’s theme is “Contested Concepts.” Guest speakers from different disciplines come and talk about a concept from their discipline that has some complexity. The goal is to expose the intellectual complexity behind the ideas. The slams follow the academic calendar, so this year’s slams began in Fall 2025 and will end in Spring 2026, according to Matheson.

Some of the topics discussed in the fall and spring semesters include freedom, life, censorship, religion, and mental illness, according to Matheson.

Matheson said that he wants attendees to come with an open mind, and he wants to encourage them to think about these topics differently.

“It’s something that we kind of tend to take for granted. [We think] that we understand what the concept is,” Matheson said. “But people who work closely with it understand there’s a lot more complexity there.”

Matheson said that the slams are welcoming. He said that people sometimes find philosophy “intimidating,” and that some who consider themselves not well-versed in philosophy may refrain from asking questions or making comments. He said he encourages anyone to share their thoughts and opinions.

“It’s a very informal atmosphere,” Matheson said. “People are eating. People are drinking.”

Matheson also said that it is a place where people are free to disagree. People can share their ideas, disagree with each other, and still walk away as friends, he said.

In addition, Matheson said that attendees should be prepared to have their ideas challenged.

“[You should expect] to have your understanding shaken a little bit,” he said. “[And] to have your curiosity piqued for you to have some new questions.”

Matheson hopes that the conversations raised during the slams do not stay in the room.

“The goal is always not to wrap up the conversation forever at the end of the slam,” he said. “Keep talking about these things, and…potentially find things that are of interest to you that you didn’t realize were of interest to you.”

The slams take place once a month during the fall and spring semesters at the Sahara Cafe & Bar on Beach Blvd at 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. 

The next slam will be on March 11, and the topic is “What is Law,” according to UNF’s events calendar. The guest speaker will be UNF’s Senior Associate General Counsel Justin Sorrell.

People can get more information through Instagram.

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