Big Questions - Reading List

I laid out several books on the coffee table last time.  These are books I have found helpful in reviewing the topics we cover, and filling in background info from philosophers who have wrestled with these same topics.  I like books with Big Questions in the title, of course, but there are others.

Socrates Cafe is a philosophy book wrapped in the trappings of a novel.  Christopher Phillips is the author, and he recounts his efforts to take the ideas of Socrates and the method of dialectic discussion to whomever and wherever he can.  College campuses, coffee houses, schools, prisons, and private homes where people gather.  His stories are engaging and he showcases Socratic thought interpreted for modern times.  It is available from Amazon for under $10 in paperback, or under $9 for the Kindle.  I'm sure it will be at your local library.  If you only read one book in this list, I recommend that this would be the one.

The Big Questions: A short introduction to philosophy by Robert Solomon is a college textbook style review of philosophical thought, organized generally into the major fields of thought:  What is the meaning of life?  Is there a god?  What is the nature of reality?  What is truth?  Who are we as individuals?  What is freedom?  What is morality and the good life?  What is Justice?  How does philosophy impact our ideas of sex, race, and culture?  Each of these topics is covered through some direct discussion by the author with reviews of relevant philosophers and their writings.  I find his style easy to read, and the info to be well presented.  (My copy is copyrighted 1998.  I see on Amazon that there are more recent versions, sometimes with an additional author, Kathleen Higgens.  I expect this newer one to be essentially the same, maybe with some additional info.)

For practical exercises in philosophical thinking, you can't beat The Philosophy Gym by Stephen Law (available as paperback and Kindle versions).  He lays out 25 topics and couches them in layman's terms, presenting opposing perceptions or ideas and points out fallacies in thinking, contradictions, false interpretations, etc., to get the reader thinking.  He also rates the topics as Warm UP, Moderate, or Challenging to indicate their degree of difficulty.  I like to use his format for BQ since it is a short read, clearly identifies the ideas you need to cover, and often leaves the topic open ended at the conclusion of the session - no Big Answers!

There are many more great books for beginners.  Sophie's World is a great read, and lots of fun along the way.  The other 2 books by Phillips, The Six Questions of Socrates, and Socrates in Love.  I mentioned in an earlier blog that I recommend reading The Republic, by Plato.  It can seem a bit pedantic at times but it helps to get the banter into your head, to listen to the back and forth of dialectic.

And of course everyone needs an anthology of philosophy so you can read the original writings of a philosopher you like, or who strongly influenced whatever topic you are studying.  Fortunately these anthologies are generally not expensive, are very big, and contain huge amounts of information but are not usually very well organized.   I have several on my shelf, and you can read them when you visit, if you like.

Desmond

A Refresher Concerning Big Questions

At this time of reboot, it pays to take a minute to remind ourselves how Big Questions started, and what was the intent?

Philosophy:  Asking questions like a child, and answering them like a lawyer!

A Socratic Question is typically formed as a "What is ...?" question.  What is virtue?  What is justice?  What is honor?  That sort of thing.  These were the sorts of topics that Socrates liked, and we try and keep to that format when developing Big Questions for our own discussions today.  We have certainly branched out a bit and don't limit the topics to ones that Socrates hashed out 2,500 years ago, necessarily, although many of the classic questions are still good ones to keep in mind today.  We can delve into topics that are of current interest to us, and that may be a product of our modern society and way of living.

I have many sources to draw upon for What is .. ? questions.  My ideal situation is for the group to come up with one they like, and are ready to explore.  They can be based on daily life.  What is marriage in modern society?   What is our civic responsibility in a corrupt society?  I think these are valid questions, and wold be pleased to lead a discussion about them,  As I noted in March, marriage can be a touchy topic, especially if you and your spouse are looking for help or validation of a position you may have taken.  It certainly was lively many years ago when we tried it for the first time.

Classically philosophical topics can be difficult for non-philosophers to deal with.  The reasoning gets abstract, and often people draw in what may seem to be obscure sources, quoting philosophers inaccurately or possibly out of context.  It often leaves me wanting to look up the source material to put things into proper context.  If you look at the sheer size of the anthologies I have on my shelf you can see that "great thinkers" of the past were also tremendously verbose!  Still, Socrates was fond of this sort of thing and I'd like to think we can all participate in a true philosophical discussion once in a while.

Will you read a few pages of text to prepare for a session?  I have pages copied and available electronically for several topics.  I will try and make them available for topics I may want to promote in future sessions.

It may seem trite, but please take the time to read The Republic by Plato.  The information is very accessible, and the process of dialectic discussion that has made Socrates the world's premier philosopher is in full display throughout the work.  Plato's chronicle of the life of Socrates stands as a monument to Greek Philosophy through the ages.  If you can get into this frame of mind, you can understand what I am trying to create in Big Questions.

Desmond

What is Happiness?

Recap of March 16th Meeting

Potluck Supper and Check In

We had an attendance of 18 souls for this re-boot of BQ.  The dinner was fine, with a mix of items.  Nobody went hungry, but the mix of offers was short on mains and salads, with a very welcome main dish that showed up at about 7:45!  There was seating for everyone around one of the 2 large tables, and people seemed pleased to be able to get together again.

Discussion

The opening question concerned an personal issue around respecting personal expectations of behavior in public places.  It was cast as a question of the rights of an individual vs the rights of the many, but the flow of the discussion didn’t follow that path.  What it boiled down to was the behavior of a developmentally challenged person who liked to jump into a public pool in a noisy and splashy way, while a group of seniors were trying to do water exercises closely enough to be splashed and bothered by this person.  It was suggested that the person who was bothered talk to the care giver (who did not seem to be paying attention to the conflict) to move the jumper further away. 

We then talked about several topics, settling in on the concept of happiness.  What is happiness, what do we do to achieve happiness, is happiness a worthy life goal, can happiness exist without contrasting unhappy or just not happy times, and many more related questions.  The discussion was lively and everyone participated. 

I used the Happiness Box example to illustrate what I think of as being a peak experience sort of happiness, which many people rejected as not something they would enjoy.  I tried to point out that the definition of the Happiness Box is pure enjoyment and it didn't make sense not to enter because it would not be enjoyable.  The parallel between the Happiness Box and drug use was explored, and the pitfalls of drug addiction. 

Part of the offer to get into the HB is that you don't have to get back out, but can stay in as long as you want - a clear invitation to leave the world behind and live in pure bliss for the rest of your life.   If the goal of life is to seek pleasure and avoid pain, this would seem to be a great chance to maximize the pleasure part.  People usually cite their responsibilities to others, their families, and to themselves as reasons not to get into the box, which are all good reasons, but seemingly altruistic.  A hedonist would jump in.  A person struggling with issues in their life might want to get in.  Someone with chronic pain, or depression, or maybe loneliness.  A well adjusted, socially connected person who gets satisfaction without the box might be wary.  Or maybe just someone who didn't want to be thought of as self-centered.

One participant offered the comment that happiness does not come in levels, but rather exists only as a form of quiet contentment.  This person denied the idea of "peak happiness", but I did not understand just why it was not possible.  They did comment that awareness of suffering and pain in the world meant that, in some way, we are denied peak happiness though this knowledge.  It seemed a heavy burden to bear, intellectually, so that it affected our moment to moment participation of our lives and feelings.  A crushing burden, I would think.

I was asked to offer a list of books and authors that deal with the review of philosophy as a collection of Big Questions.  I laid out several from my personal library, and I especially noted the value of reading Christopher Phillips' Socrates Café.  I will append this list to my blog shortly.

Desmond

Restarting Something I Really Like

Hello Everyone!

Yes, it is true.  We are starting Big Questions back up again, starting March 16.  For the time being we will have to announce the once monthly meeting dates, so don't add any meeting times into the following months just yet.  Generally we like the 3rd Friday of the month, but there are some scheduling conflicts coming so we will have to advise you as the times are set.

To start up out, I'm tempted to let the group pick a subject after I make a bit of an introduction to what I expect to be several first timers.  The Fellowship has experienced some growth in membership, and there may be good interest in a social/philosophy group get together. 

A recent sermon topic was Authentic Happiness, which has been a recurring theme for BQ as well.  We might want to explore Happiness as a philosophical topic again.  It is one of my favorites.  Let's see how the group want to go.

See you on Friday!

Des