Socrates Café are gatherings around the world where people from different backgrounds get together and exchange philosophical perspectives based on their experiences, using the version of the

Socratic Method The Socratic method (also known as method of Elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate) is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw ...

developed by founder Christopher Phillips. The groups model their discussions from the 2001 book of the same name by

Christopher Phillips Christopher Phillips (born July 15, 1959) is an American author, educator, consultant, lecturer, and pro-democracy advocate. He is best known for his 2001 book '' Socrates Café''. Public Radio International called Phillips the "Johnny Appl ...

and a guide he also developed. Today, there are hundreds of such gatherings, coordinated by volunteers, worldwide.Socrates Café official website
the official website of the Socrates Café movement

History

Socrates Cafés began in 1996, when Christopher Phillips, then a freelance writer and editorial consultant, desired to in some way build on the legacy of historical thinkers. He proposed Socratic dialogues with anyone who wished to become more empathetic, and more objectively critical and creative philosophical inquirers. Phillips' idea of having open-invitation meetings at cafes and other public places and spaces was inspired by

Matthew Lipman Matthew Lipman (August 24, 1923 in Vineland, New Jersey – December 26, 2010 in West Orange, New Jersey) is recognized as the founder of Philosophy for Children. His decision to bring philosophy to young people came from his experience as ...

, the founder of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children who advocated introducing philosophy into schools and under whom Phillips studied, as well as by

Marc Sautet Marc Sautet (25 February 1947 – 3 March 1998) was a French writer, teacher, translator (mainly of Nietzsche), and philosopher. He was a Doctor of Philosophy (B. Litt.) at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Sautet was a former Trotskyist w ...

, whose

Café Philosophique A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

Phillips became aware of after reading an article about Sautet in 1995. According to Phillips, his version of the Socratic Method was inspired not only by the Greek interrogative elements practiced by Socrates of the ''elenctic'' (Greek for 'cross examination,' 'encounter,' 'inquiry'), ''aporia'' (Greek for 'doubt') and ''maieutic'' (Greek for 'midwifery,' in this case giving birth to ideas one harbors from within), but by the philosopher

Justus Buchler Justus Buchler (March 27, 1914 – March 19, 1991) was an American philosopher, author and professor. He made contributions to the subjects of naturalism and metaphysics, introducing the concept of the ''natural complex''. Biography Buchler ...

's notions of human judgment and query, by philosopher Walter Kaufmann's notion of the "Socratic type" and view that the Socratic Method boils down to the sustained consideration of objections and alternatives to any given way of seeing things, as well as by

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

's notion of the Socratic persona and performativity. A typical Socrates Cafe group meets in a public place, is open to anyone who wishes to attend, and Socratically explores a question which is chosen by vote or which is announced shortly in advance. Typically there are no prerequisites, and no reading or other preparation is required.

Socratic method

Janet Sisson, a philosophy professor at

Mount Royal College Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8 ...

, has questioned the appropriateness of identifying the methods and goals practiced by Phillips with those of the historical

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

: "...the background for this enterprise ocrates Caféis very different from that for the conversations of Socrates.

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

uses the figure of Socrates as a way of introducing the idea of intellectual discussion in order to promote the pursuit of truth, not as a path for personal discovery. ...To treat opportunities for dialogue as a means of self-discovery is a modern attitude, not the aim of Socrates own original dialectic. American scholars have sometimes encouraged this reading of Socratic endeavors; Phillips' fondness for this line of argument perhaps owes more to idealist or

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

thinking than to Socrates himself." Sisson goes on to stress that "(t)his does not undermine the aim of Phillips' cafes..." Philosopher Thomas Morris has praised the Socrates Cafe concept of good discussion about important topics by common people. Morris, Thomas
The Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy
Morris Institute of Human Values, accessed 2008-10-13 David Blacker, professor of Philosophy of Education and Legal Studies at the University of Delaware, writes in ''Democratic Education Stretched Thin: How Complexity Challenges a Liberal Ideal (2007),'' that "one can...only applaud the efforts initiated by Christopher Phillips... In very much an extra-academic (but not anti-academic) spirit, Phillips has inspired individuals to create in their own communities voluntary groups who convene to discuss philosophical questions they themselves have chosen." ''(p. 146)'' Blacker considers the Socrates cafe endeavor to be a critical effort for evolving a democracy, the essential function and mission of which to him is for its citizens "to think for themselves about the lives they want to lead" (p. 146).

References

{{reflist

External links

Socrates Café Official Website
Deliberative groups Philosophical societies Public philosophy

History

Socratic method

See also

References

External links