Socrates Café: Aerobics of the
Mind
Do you often wonder about things? Do you
like to think about big questions for which
there are no set answers? Are you a reflective
thinker and listener? Then bring your sense of
wonder to Willow Valley’s Socrates Café!
The Socrates Café is a national,
grassroots movement devoted to bringing
philosophical inquiry into our daily lives. The
goal is for each of us to become better
questioners and listeners. We can then use our
improved skills to make better decisions in our
personal lives, as well as better consider
public issues.
The founder of Socrates cafés,
Christopher Phillips, dreamed of dragging
philosophy out of cobwebbed ivory towers and
back into the streets – or at least public
places – where Socrates practiced the art. "It's
a dialogue, where people discover their unique
philosophical perspectives and world views as
they lock hearts and minds with other people."
He regards these cafes as "nurturing the fourth
R" – reasoning.
The Willow Valley Socrates Café offers an
opportunity for residents to move from small
talk to big talk, to get together in a casual
setting to discuss a topic or idea and explore
it from multiple angles and perspectives. As we
share our differing views and opinions, we will
stimulate our minds and encourage thoughtful and
creative responses. No special knowledge is
required; just bring an open and inquiring mind.
"Perhaps the secret of living well is not
in having all the answers but in pursuing
unanswerable questions in good company." from
Rachel Naomi Remen in Anne Lamott's Salon column
8.5.2003
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The Socrates Café is a project of the
Life of the Mind Consortium and provides a forum
for open and collaborative inquiry. We
will meet the second Monday from 10 to 11.30
a.m. in the Cultural Center. Please come
and join the exchange of ideas!
So, the question you are probably asking
is, "What is Socrates Café?" That's a good
question to begin with, hopefully the first of
many! Socrates, 469–399 B.C.E., wanted to bring
philosophy to the masses, encouraging all of us
to raise questions about ourselves and our
world. Philosophy is not just for college
students or those "intellectual" folks who seem
to know a lot about everything. One of our great
joys is the sharing of our views with college
students from Millersville University who come
to some of our meetings. The joy of seniors and
of young people in sharing views and endless
questions is a decided objective that has been
realized.
So, why should you come to the Socrates
Café here at Willow Valley? Well, answer these
questions first: Do you want to join a group to
discuss your thoughts and opinions openly and
honestly with others? Do you ever question your
own assumptions and those of the society in
which we live? Do you enjoy a good, safe
discussion without fear of being attacked for
having an opinion that is different? If so, you
will enjoy participating in the Socrates Café.
From the beginning, an informal group of
residents met to plan the Socrates Café meetings
and to consider topics for discussion. This
somewhat expanded group, now designated
Plato's Committee, continues to
review concerns and suggested topics for future
meetings of the Socrates Café.
We are a group of individuals who like to
engage in conversation. We are men and women
from all walks of life and from different
nationalities, religions, and political views.
We plan to get together and discuss what is on
our minds, from something on the news of the day
to the age old questions of “Why…?” and "What if
...?"
We are concerned with how
to think, not what to
think, how to keep our minds active and fully
functioning throughout our lives. The important
thing is to raise critical questions and
consider a variety of alternative
views.
Sharing Questions and Ideas!
TOPIC FOR THE NEXT MEETING IS:
BELIEF
Date: June 8, 2009
The Question: To what extent do our beliefs keep us from, or lead us to, inquiry and leaning?
Remember: Socrates Café
meets in the Cultural Center Ballroom from 10:00
to 11:30 on the second Monday of each month.
Stop for a drink or a snack at the Vitality Café
and bring it to the ballroom if you
wish.
THE DATE AND TOPIC THROUGH August 2009 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
July 13, 2009 ~~ TOPIC: SPORTSMANSHIP VS. WINNING
Question: What’s wrong with second place?
August 10, 2009 ~~ HALF-TRUTHS
Are half-truths just lies in disguise ? Does half-truth imply innuendo?
In our meetings, we will begin with a
topic and then identify the questions that help
us to think more clearly and more deeply about
that topic. For instance, we might consider such
topics as global warming, celebrity news
coverage, or terrorism and torture.
What kind of question is appropriate? In
a Socrates Café, just about any question can be
grist for a meaningful dialogue. Or at least,
virtually any question can be fine-tuned so it
can be looked at in a philosophical way.
Example 1: When Timothy McVeigh was put
to death, a person who wanted to discuss why
this happened framed the question in a way in
which the group could look not only at this
particular issue, but a wide range of other
issues of philosophic importance that were
related. The question became: "Who owns human
life?"
Example 2: Soon after we went to war in
Iraq, people wanted to talk about whether this
was the appropriate course of action. To do so
in a philosophical way, to look at it in both
abstract and concrete ways in which this
particular war could also be juxtaposed with
wars throughout human history, they framed the
question this way: "What is a just
war?
Example 3: Some of the Socrates Café
questions that arose during the Terry Schiavo
controversy included, "What is a good death?",
"Should a person ever be able to decide when
she, or anyone else, dies?", and "What is
death?"
What all these questions have in common
is that they enable participants to philosophize
about timely issues in timely ways, viewing them
in much broader and deeper contexts than they
otherwise might.
A word to the wise is sufficient!
Facilitating Dialogue in the
Socrates Café
Remember that we are coming together for
a conversation, a meaningful interaction in
which the socialization is as important as the
intellectualization.
Come with an open mind and a willingness
to suspend judgment so you can listen
respectfully to opposing views. Seek to
understand rather than to persuade.
Come prepared to discuss important ideas
thoughtfully and honestly.
Offer specific examples to back up what
you may think are universally accepted views.
Support your ideas and beliefs with
understandable and reasoned positions because
what you think is a “given” may be new to others
or in opposition to what they believe.
Respectfully question the ideas of
others, and carefully examine what you perceive
to be logical inconsistencies. The goal is for
all of us to become more expert questioners.
This means that we must question our own views
as well as those of others.
Don't monopolize, or allow others to
monopolize, the conversation. Remember, this is
a community of inquirers, so attempt to involve
everyone in the inquiry, but don’t put others on
the spot in a way that makes them uncomfortable.
Be open and receptive to unexpected and
unfamiliar responses, rather than attempting to
steer the dialogue in a preconceived direction.
Don't strive for consensus. It doesn't
matter if everyone begins and ends a dialogue
with very different ideas and perspectives.
There is never any need to try to force
agreement. A Socrates Café is a success when
participants leave a discussion with more
questions than they had when they came.
Speak and listen from your heart as well
as your mind.
Enjoy the conversation and the
camaraderie. | 
