Food for thought: Philosophical discussions evoke meaningful conversations

Written by Roger Desmond

Photography submitted

Believe it or not, there are still people who want to engage in deep conversations, through a group that meets monthly in town. You do not have to be a philosopher or have  to have read all of the classics. You don’t need a diploma or credential of any kind.

What you do need an interest in something loosely under the umbrella of philosophy and a wish to learn from everyone else who shows up. And you do need one dollar.

Adam Pokusa is an author and has been running the Socrates Cafe since 2009. His books are modern fairy tales for all ages that reveal important lessons for living.

The Socrates Club meets periodically at Panera Bread in Bishop's Corner in West Hartford to talk, but first they vote on and discuss group-chosen topics. Participants submit issues for discussion and the group votes on the chosen ones for the meeting, which runs for two hours.

The Outdoor Group meets in a number of locations and members travel to discuss philosophy in nearby settings. A recent trip included a walk through Northwest Park in Windsor, where there was a discussion of an essay about philosopher and social critic Jürgen Habermas. There are outdoor trips throughout the year.

Adam Pokusa is an author and the group’s leader since 2009. His books are modern fairy tales for all ages that reveal important lessons for living.

The Philosophy Group is not bound to the formal areas of philosophy, e.g. ethics, logic, metaphysics and aesthetics, but the questions from members are likely to invoke all of them throughout the evolving discussions. The “rules” for participation are respect for the ideas of fellow group members including not interrupting or arguing as they speak, and no discussions centered on politics.

In a recent meeting a question was approved by the group: “Is happiness tied to geography? Would you be happier somewhere else?” Group members were quick to respond. One member offered, “If you lived in a war-torn country, wouldn’t you be happier if you left?” Most members affirmed that in that case, they would. Several people discussed the case of depression; consensus was that this issue was multifaceted: depression can be helped by a warmer climate, but another responded that they “have been near the equator, and I observed that that people there seemed less happy than residents of cooler places.”

Someone in the group cited surveys that indicated that people who live in temperate climates are relatively less happy than those who live in extremely warm climates. A number of people said that extremely cold winters in New England make them feel unhappy.

One young woman who moved often because of her career said of the “vibe” of people in this area: “I have been in the greater Hartford area for two years and I don’t really have friends here. Group meetups are important to me.”

“I delayed college and traveled,” another member said.” Now I know that I was so much happier when I traveled and I have no regrets about my choice.”

As the end of the hour neared the group began to search for conclusions and reaction to what had been said. “Happiness is up to you,” one man stated. Another replied, “Maybe we aren’t supposed to be in a state of happiness all the time. Happiness is chemical. People can have periods of happiness and then go back to a baseline of everyday life.”

Since the beginning of Platonic dialogue, questions and answers contain the wisdom of listening to diverse opinions and trying to understand others. By sharing these opinions people have sometimes achieved a kind of consensus. The Philosophy Group in Connecticut is an outpost of dialogue.

"Humans are naturally conditioned to want to share and express their ideas and opinions with one another,” Pokusa said. “For some individuals, an evening discussing ideas and opinions is their only source of conversation or expression. For most of us, we are busy with the day-to-day activities of life, thus our thoughts get lost in the noise. It isn’t until we converge with a group that we realize we actually have things to share with others. It is at the Socrates Cafe that individuals have the choice of how fully invested they wish to be involved in the discussion. For some, all they need is just a few minutes to share what they have to say and sit back and listen to what the group has to offer. For others, it’s their chance to try and find some answers to questions that have been on their mind for years. Either way, the Socrates Cafe allows for everybody to participate and contribute in one way or another. The fact that people have been coming out to a group which centers its discussion around philosophy demonstrates that humanity still seeks knowledge and truth in this world journey."

 In the second hour the topic turned to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and the role of human intellect. The question was: with AI continuing to surpass many human skills what is the role of human intellect in a world where we aren’t the dominant intellectual force on the planet? The group included several members who worked in some aspect of information technology, but everyone had thoughts about this topic. Of course, many comments were sparked by science fiction taken seriously.

“Large language models depend on human words,” one person remarked. “A new kind of approach will reflect the world in a different way.” Another member suggested that “AI is not considering human needs.”

Not all comments were pessimistic. One member offered, “AI may be more valuable in many ways not yet imagined.”

And the sci-fi angle elicited another interesting response. “I think AI will be like a computer in Star Trek; humans will work with supercomputers.”

Not all of the comments reflect fear of the future. “AI will become more valuable,” one group member said, “Especially in the artistic realm.” WHL

These topics and so many others will emerge in every group meeting. For further information contact. https://www.meetup.com/philosophy-outdoor-discussion-group/