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Café Philo DC: “Are Mental Pleasures or Virtues Better (or Mental Vices Worse) than Physical Ones
   
Moderator: Jerry Chandler

Cost: Free
No Registration Required
Café Philo DC, now in its 16th year, is a moderated, philosophical roundtable discussion for the general public founded by Ken Feldman and animated by the question: "If politics is too important to be left to the politicians, then isn't thinking too important to be left to any authority other than your own mind?" Modeled on its Parisian prototype, the event welcomes all philosophically curious people to discuss the big questions in life. Topics often encourage the practical application of philosophical principles and, in good Socratic fashion, the discussions encourage participants to cultivate the process of imaginative inquiry as much, if not more, than to seek definitive answers to vexing questions.

Examples of past topics are: Am I sane? Does knowledge inhibit the imagination? What is humor? Is mathematics merely a human construct? Who belongs to that voice in my head? Does freedom of choice enslave us? Should atheists proselytize? Is romance a necessary illusion? What is the role of reason in human affairs? Are we making progress? Can a reader understand a novel better than its author? Are there limits to tolerance? Is the individual more important than the community? What is the basis for morality? Are truth and justice myths? What is the relationship between art and morality? Should we live in the moment? Is it immoral to live happily while injustice persists? Is violence ever justified? What is meaning? Is certainty overvalued? and Is reality in the mind or in the world?

Discussions, which usually take place on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month (usually excepting December), are complemented by a Yahoo discussion list called Café Philo DC Dialogue at (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cafephilodcdialogue/). Please contact Ken Feldman at [email protected] with questions and requests to be placed on the listserv for meeting notices and background material relevant to each topic. This information may also be found on the Café Philo DC Dialogue discussion list.
Event Contact
Ken Feldman AB '74 Philosophy

703-615-9531
Staff Liaison
Ritu Prasad, AB'14

+1.773.702.8955

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Event Information
EVENT DATE:
Saturday, Aug 22 2015 at 10:00am - 12:00pm [ iCal ]
LOCATION:
Tenley-Friendship Branch, DC Public Library (Large Meeting Room)
4450 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Washington,, DC 20016 USA