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The July Altadena Socrates Café had the topic "What is truth?", the discussion lasted three hours. I intend to put the recordings I've made online so we can listen to how we think. But that would have to be done after I return from China in September.

The August Altadena Socrates Café would be facilitated by Daniel. It would be on August 16, from 12 to 3.

Cheers!

Mike Li

This late update is to remind everyone that the Altadena Socrates Café is still very active and growing. I would like to write something in response to our new member Mark, who asked if there is anything he should know before the big day?

Welcome to the Socrates Café Mark, the Socrates Café is to me - an experiment. It is an exercise in democracy, an engagement in dialogue, a chance to meet different people, a step in self understanding. It can entertain you, piss you off, set you free and make you think. Pure thinking is not enough, a great deal of what happens in a Socrates Café meeting are intense dialogues, talks taken seriously, thoughts investigated, interrogated and examined over not just you, but all members of the gathering.

I call it an experiment because it is always changing, it is always challenging, we challenge ourselves, and we strive to ask the next big question. We are all aware of the changes because when genuine dialogues talk place, a consensus is no longer the goal, but inroads to greater understanding would be present to everyone who listens carefully to what others have to say, then you can challenge them. And when you are challenged, you should try your best to take on the fight to give the best reason possible for other members, but of course, ultimately, for yourself.

A Socrates Café usually has a facilitator, who directs without determining the discussion. A Socrates Café doesn't have a preset topic of discussion, it is usually picked on the day of discussion, so come in with your philosophical question, or any question really, we'll make it philosophical in two seconds time.

Before you come, you can always visit the homepage for the Society for Philosophical Inquiry, a non-profit organization that started the Socrates Café movement ten years ago.

Visit: http://www.philosopher.org/

That's it, our June meeting would be on the 21st, it looks like Bernard, one of the founding fathers of the Altadena Socrates Café, has RSVPed a "maybe", it should be very interesting.

Look forward to seeing all of you there.

Mike Li

Hi guys, this is Mike, I just realized that I wouldn’t be able to come to our March discussion because I am going to New York for a week next month. But of course, the Café would still take place, maybe somebody can step up and be a facilitator, I would reserve the conference room myself, please have a good time Socratizing about empiricism!

Here is a recap:

"Mysticism is escapism, it's an escape from reality", says Jan, one of our usuals in the Altadena Socrates Café. He missed the last few gatherings, however, what is not absent, is his skepticism to all seemingly wishy-washy things.

My suspect for many seemingly wishy-washy things is that they haven't been been cross-examined by us, and with the presence of our original Socrates - Bernard, who has left for San Diego in search of a better job, our February Socrates Café begins.

Sunai responds naturally "What do you mean by reality?"

“Jim Jones for example, couldn’t take on life, so he got a bunch of guys together and drank the ‘Kool-Aid’ so he could escape life?”

On the other side of this little conference room, Sunai’s unanswered question is ringing up in Darlene’s head, “You said an escape from reality, what exactly are they escaping from, what, do you mean by reality?”

Jan, “Well, life, they weren’t courageous enough to live life, so they go for these mystical experiences to feel happy, have you ever heard about any mystical experiences that’s not positive?”

Brian, “Sure, they don’t have to be positive to be considered mystical.”

Uriah, “The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines a mystical experience as beyond the five senses, so the paranormal wouldn’t necessarily be considered mystical.”

James, “Would an epiphany be considered a mystical experience then?”

Would it? This springs into questions like “How is emotion indescribable considered mystical.” Or even, “Does there exist experience that’s indescribable?” “Is meditation a mystical experience?” “If it is, is it because they both relate to emotion?” “Are emotions necessarily indescribable?” “Is escapism always bad?” “Do some cults feel that they have mystical experience when they really don’t?” “What is really a mystical experience?”

Darlene thinks out loud that “Different people have their own reality, what is mystical for some might not be mystical for others?”

Sensing the smell of relativism, Brian responds that “I think you are talking about perception, not reality. What is real is necessary for us to communicate, but what you perceive might be different from what others do.”

I ask “If relativism allows for different realities, doesn’t that broaden our perceptions, and shouldn’t we embrace it?”

“Not if they insist on being different without the recognition of the others.” says Brian.

“What if we can come to a consensus, would we not recognize mystical experiences anymore?” “What about Déjà vu, is that a mystical experience?” “What is mysticism?”

We are going all around the spectrum of ideas in this discussion, at the end, we decide to take on empiricism next time.

P.S, check out the Socrates Café website here: http://www.socratescafe.org/ , included within is “What is the Socratic Method?”.

Mike Li

Happy New Year to all Socrates Café goers in the Coffee Gallery in Altadena California, this month, we would be meeting again on the 18th.

In December, we philosophized "death". We all knew what death was until we started asking questions like "How do you know if someone dies?", "What is the cause of death?", "What is a good death, or a bad death?", "Can we look forward to death?", "What is life after death?", "What do Christians, or atheists think about death?". We used the Socratic Method and challenged one another in our assumptions, because of this, the word "death" seemed at the end to warrant another three hours of discussion. However, we decided to kill death and come up with topics of interest for this month. Here is the list:

Universe vs Multiverse, Theism vs Atheism, Fanaticism, Deconstructionism, What makes life worth living and the role of productive work in life?

We would decide on the topic when we meet again on the 18th, see you all there.

P.S, The Socrates Café is a movement started by Socrates, of course, but its popularization goes back to the book Socrates Café by Christopher Phillips. Chris started the first Socrates Café ten years ago and started the nonprofit organization the Society for Philosophical Inquiry to assist the growth of the now 400 communities of inquiry around the world. To learn more about the Socrates Café movement, visit http://www.philosopher.org/ , there is also a survey you can take about your experience attending the Cafés.

Mike Li