"Socrates" - Photo by Eric Gaba
What the world needs now is...
Another music club? A fancier steak house? Perhaps a new and improved ghost tour?
Chris Phillips doesn't think so. If he had it his way, every town throughout the Capital District would have a Socrates Cafe instead.
Chris Phillips has been described as the "Johnny Appleseed of Philosophy," due to his penchant for promoting philosophical discussion groups that utilize the Socratic Method. He calls such groups "Socrates Cafes," and suggests that they take root in prisons, schools, book stores, coffee shops, senior centers - in other words, anywhere that probing inquiry of this kind can be nurtured.
Exactly how probing?
Chris promises that it's a kinder gentler prod than that of the actual Socrates (who was known to alienate quite a few with his barbed zingers). Speaking of "alienation," Chris offers this detailed example of how the Socratic Method might unfold from a core question:
How can we overcome alienation? Challenge the premise of the question at the outset. You may need to ask: Is alienation something we always want to overcome? For instance, Shakespeare and Goethe may have written their timeless works because they embraced their sense of alienation rather than attempting to escape it. If this was so, then you might want to ask: Are there many different types, and degrees, of alienation? Depending on the context, are there some types that you want to overcome and other types that you do not at all want to overcome but rather want to incorporate into yourself? And to answer effectively such questions, you first need to ask and answer such questions as: What is alienation? What does it mean to overcome alienation?
And so on... In fact, Chris Phillips concludes this rather lengthy paragraph with the promise: And many other questions besides...
If your head is now spinning with delight rather than dismay, you may be an ideal candidate for this process. If so, here are some ground rules:
Question the perspectives offered by others... Try to examine any logical inconsistencies... Make sure everyone has a chance to speak... Be receptive to unexpected and unfamiliar responses... Reject the teacher/guru model - all are fellow inquirers... Don't worry about how many show up... Commitment matters more than numbers... Consensus isn't necessary - or even desirable...
And - this is a toughie - assume, as Socrates allegedly did, that you are way more ignorant than you are wise...
Resources
http://morrisinstitute.com/index.php?s=wisdom&c=weekly_socrates_cafe
http://content.bhg.org/books/books.php?type=de&id=1718
http://www.philosopher.org (Phillips' website)
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