Wittgenstein on Philosophy

October 21st Philosophy Cafe Topic Description and Readings Link

This Philosophy Cafe will start at 7:00pm at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge MA 02138 on Wednesday October 21st

What Are We Doing When We Do Philosophy?

   Why do philosophical problems seem perennial?

The meaning of life, the existence of a benign providential order, the political ideals that should guide civilised societies, the extent to which we can control our actions, the justification or criticism of legal and moral practices are some examples of perennial philosophical problems. The widely, but fortunately not universally, accepted philosophical approach to them is to divide a problem into smaller and smaller segments, concentrate on one of the smaller ones, contribute to the increasingly more technical writings on it by drawing finer distinctions, raising and refuting possible objections, and inventing ingenious fictional cases of the what-would-you-do-if sort that may call for the revision of some details of previous contributions. Following this approach is thought by many to be a requirement of professionalism and the failure to follow it is condemned as incompetent.

The perennial problems that concern vitally important matters get lost in the accumulation of exfoliating pedantic details whose relevance, if any, only a handful of specialists working on a minute segment of one of the problems can understand. The countless journal articles and specialist books that adhere to the prevailing approach are incomprehensible to non-specialists and have failed to provide a generally accepted response to any of the basic problems, not even one that specialists could agree on. The regrettable result is that philosophy has become remote from everyday life…..

In more ancient times, say when Socrates was holding court, students of philosophy would meet in an agreeable location ( the agora that  exists in ruins at Ephesus Turkey for example), to discuss matters that concerned and perplexed them.

Today we are likely spend our time shopping at a mall,buying things we don’t really need in an effort to assuage our battered selves and lick the wounds that modern life has inflicted upon us. But shopping is not, in the end, quite satisfying. It is fueled by an endless quest, to acquire the right “things”, which will perhaps,  impress a  cohort that we judge as desirable. That at least  is what Madison Avenue thinks, and adolescents are delighted to fulfill those expectations.

But we happy few are gathered here for loftier and more fulfilling goals (if we finish before 9  can I still make it to the mall?).

Philosophy pertains to each of  us, even if we don’t routinely indulge in its practice. The meaning of life and our eventual deaths, the question of free will, or how to go about living the best lives for ourselves (or others), are some basic unavoidable questions humans need answers to. Some of these include traditional philosophical problems related to free will, practical reason, value, well-being, human nature, evil, moral responsibility, and so on. Philosopher John Kekes contends  that questions ... become perennial and philosophical when they are caused by reasonable and yet conflicting evaluations that follow from different modes of understanding. The problems connected with the meaning of life, a providential order, political ideals, control over how we live, and the justification or criticism of legal and moral practices are perennial and philosophical.

Thus, a physicist might be satisfied when a problem is reduced to materialist terms. Some people are content if it can be shown how the thought or behavior arose from Darwinian selection. Others see things from an historical or religious or moral perspective, still others think language and logic or math is the basis of understanding.

At cafe-philo we are not professional or academic thinkers. We come from varied lines of thought and experience and for that reason we will be satisfied by different kinds of answers to the questions we ponder.

If you expect the one right answer to a particular problem this is not the right place to look for it.

Questions and answers are only relevant to human beings: we humans are the ones that pose them and only we can have a say as to whether or not the topic has been answered and resolved (maybe even that is assuming too much since humanism is not everyones cup a tea)

So this evening let’s discuss what questions intrigue us on a personal level. We can include not only why it matters but what kind of answer we are seeking.

DO WE WANT?

1.      to better understand the philosophical problem being discussed?

2.      to educate the uninformed about an insight that we have that sheds light on the problem?

3.      a chance to engage in a (rare) forum where such topics are taken seriously?

4.      a place to hear and be heard where there is no pre-existing hierarchy, so that we attend as equals, not as teacher and student?

5.      to educate ourselves by hearing other people speak-or maybe to impress others with the depth of our insights.

6.      A social gathering built around the framework of  serious discussion

https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/53490-the-nature-of-philosophical-problems-their-causes-and-implications/

Philosophers, Enter The Ring!

                                          (Thanks to Wittgenstein Quotes at QuotesGram.com.)

Temporary Philosophy Cafe Blog with Readings

Until the Owl of Minerva takes and flight and our proper website is re-established, we are going to post the topic and readings for the Philosophy Cafe on this blog.  Remaining dates for 2015 are  Wednesdays  Oct 21, Nov 18, and Dec 16.   The Philosophy Cafe is held at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge MA 02138