What Are America's Myths?

Our topic for December was "What are America's myths?" - suggested by George Garrett. Thanks George. Thanks also to Ken Thompson for doing his usual fine job as moderator and thanks to Derek Breen, proprietor of Mod, for hosting our gathering at "The Loft at Mod".

Also present were Carole Abel, Daria Brezinski, John Tytus, Billie Lagerwerff, Felix Bizaoui, Jason Varsoke, and Lisa Alvarez.

We touched on many themes including, What are myths? Are myths, by definition, false or true? How so? What myths are unique to American culture? Where do myths come from? How do they change? Who are the story-tellers of today? What do our myths tell us about who we are? and many more.

Other topics that were suggested, but not selected for this time, were:

1. The nature of language and the meaning of words as used, abused, and manipulated by politicians, interest groups, advertising, and other institutions of power.

2. The role of computer technology in connecting and/or aleinating individuals from each other and "the real world".

3. The meaning of culture in the age of technology.

4. The power/role of corporations in international events.

Thanks to those who suggested these topics. They are all fair game for future discussions.

The next Socrates at Mod is scheduled for January 17 (third Wednesday of the month). See you there.

Socrates Success at Mod

Hello Philosopher Friends,

I am pleased to report that our inaugural gathering of the Socrates Cafe at Mod two weeks ago was a success. Present were Ken Thompson, John Tytus, Billie Lagerwerff, Zeke Hanchak, new-comers Tom and Manuel (sorry I don't have last names), Derek Breen (our host), and myself as moderator. We met upstairs at Mod in the meeting room dubbed "The Loft" - a room we all agreed most fitting to vigorous philosophical exploration, due to its rustic/bohemian/work-in-progress style and its dorm-room like informality, warmth and friendliness.

Our announced seed topic "What do you believe?" quickly morphed into a topic suggested by Zeke and unanimously approved by the group - "Why do we like people?". As usual, the initial question raised more questions, including "What qualities attract us to someone?", "Can we trust our instincts about people?", "What determines our first impressions?", "What makes some friendships last so long?", "Why do friendships end?", "Do we choose our friendships or do they choose us?", "What is the role of self-interest in friendships and how are friendships exploited?", and many more. Needless to say, the discussion was very stimulating and enlightening.

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming events.

1. The next Thinking Out Loud podcast recording will take place in my office on Thursday, Dec 7, at 7:00 pm. The topic will be "What creative value is there in pain and suffering?" I have made progress on our Thinking Out Loud web page (see new link below). In addition to our 4 radio recordings so far, I have posted most of the audio from our 11 TV episodes. I hope to have the rest of the TV episodes posted soon. Check them out at www.citizenphilosopher.com/thinkingoutloud/ and add your comments and insights if you like.

2. The next Socrates Cafe at Mod will be in "The Loft at Mod" on Wednesday, Dec 13, at 7:00 pm. The topic will be chosen by the group when we meet, so bring your favorite perplexing questions for us to vote on. The moderator will be citizen philosopher extraordinaire and co-founder of the original Socrates Cafe in Charlottesville, Ken Thompson. For those of you so inclined, you can now continue our Socrates Cafe at Mod discussions on-line at www.citizenphilosopher.com/socratescafe/.

3. I am please to announce yet one more venue for Charlottesville citizen philosophers. Long-time regulars of Socrates Cafe, Zeke Hanchak and Alma Cunningham have initiated a Senior Center Socrates gathering that takes place on the 2nd Thursday every month. The next one is scheduled for Thursday, Dec 14, at 7:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public. No Senior Center membership is required, despite announcement you may have seen to the contrary. The meetings take place in the Senior Center library. For more information, call Zeke at 293-4164.

In closing, and in the spirit of the holiday just celebrated, I would like extend thanks to Derek for making space available at Mod for our gatherings, to Ken for agreeing to share the responsibilities of moderating, to Zeke and Alma for propagating the seeds of grassroots philosophical engagement to yet a new venue, and to all the participants for making our discussions such an enjoyable experience.

See you soon,

Steve

P.S. Yes, we realize Mod and Senior Socrates are one day apart this month. That doesn't mean you can't go to both. It would be my hope that there would be significant overlap among the venues to provide some healthy cross-pollination of ideas while allowing for individual creativity as well. Derek is planning on changing the schedule at Mod starting in January to space things out a little more.

What do you believe?

Join us Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Mod, the newly open social networking cafe and digital workspace on Elliewood Avenue in Charlottesville, VA, across from the Buddhist Biker Bar.

The topic will be "What do you believe?", inspired by NPR's series "This I believe."

After the discussion, add your further reflection and after-thoughts here, by clicking on the "comments" link below.

Background/history

In 1996 a disgruntled journalist by the name of Christopher Phillips started organizing gatherings of individuals from the general public in Montclair, NJ, to examine, through the process of inquiry, topics of common philosophical interest. These gatherings were typically held in coffee houses and became known as Socrates Cafes. Since 1996, Chris has been responsible, directly or indirectly, for the creation of over 100 Socrates Cafes in various parts of the continent. He recounts the story about how he came to find his calling as a modern day Johnny Appleseed of Philosophy in his book, Socrates Cafe, A Fresh Taste of Philosophy. His goal, he says, is "to give philosophy back to the people" and "to reach out to anyone and everyone to engage in a common quest to gain a better understanding of ourselves and the human nature".

In the spring of 2000, Chris Phillips came to Charlottesville for a presentation and book signing at Barnes & Noble Bookstore. In attendance were Steve Semienick and Ken Thompson. Steve had participated in the original Socrates Cafe in Montclair and had since moved to Charlottesville. Ken had heard about the book signing event and was simply curious about the Socrates Cafe concept. Although Steve and Ken had not known each other beforehand, they were both motivated to start an on-going Socrates Cafe in Charlottesville and joined forces to make it happen. The Socrates Cafe at Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville has been meeting every 2nd and 4th Wednesday ever since.

I started attending the Socrates Cafe at Barnes & Noble in the spring of 2002. Steve and Ken were alternating as moderator and asked if anyone else in the group would like to join them in this capacity. I volunteered and enjoyed moderating so much, I decided to start another group. With the support and encouragement of Ken and Steve, I searched for another location where we could meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. A new teahouse, The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, had just opened on the historic downtown mall and it seem to me to have just the right ambiance. Since "Socrates Cafe" didn't seem like an appropriate name for a group meeting in a teahouse, I decided to call the new group "Tea With Socrates". The first Tea With Socrates gathering was held on October 30, 2002.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to participate in a Socrates Cafe style gathering, please join us at one these two locations. You can always find either Steve Semienick or Ken Thompson moderating on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at Barnes & Noble, and myself moderating on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at the Twisted Branch. I think you will find the experience most stimulating.

Steve Donaldson,
webmaster/moderator

Update: As of November 2003, the Barnes & Noble venue no longer exists. Instead, we meet at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar every Wednesday at 7:00, except on the last Wednesday of the month, when we meet at the Public Access TV studio to tape our show, "Thinking Out Loud". Join us at either location. No reservation required.

Update 2006: I took some time off in the Fall of 2005 to teach a semester of physics at a local private school. During that time the attendance at the Tea With Socrates venue suffered in my absence and eventually dissolved entirely. In its place, I am working on starting an Internet Philosophy Talk Radio show. In order to get quality sound recording, I need to procure some equipment and a suitable meeting space. The public coffee and tea houses have much too much background noise and through traffic. I am working on converting some office space I have as part of my real job (www.iqimaging.com). Initially, the radio show will be for local participants and then podcast to the world for feedback. Eventually, it would be nice to allow for global realtime participation, a la call-in talk show variety. I am not sure how that would work yet - maybe with some sort of Internet Phone technology. We'll keep you posted.