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Summary: Taking Philosophy Off the Shelf
Review: "Philosophy is boring," it is so often said. And, really, who cares what a bunch of dead, white, bearded guys thought anyway? Well, forget acedemia and its recondite intellectuals. Philosophy was meant for the open air of the agora, and the cocophony of voices and opinions that come with it. Only there, amid the diversity and freshness of life, can we discover contemporary issues and depart on altogether new philosophical vistas. With this book, and the Socrates' Cafe movement in general, Phillips has done the seemingly impossible -- he brought philosophy back down to earth. He made the business of philosophy public. Like a roving Socrates, he has taken to the streets, nursing homes, middle schools, cafes and even the prisons of America -- all in search of the question -- and in his wake you will find a storm of discussion. The results are phenomenal. Socrates' Cafes are popping faster than Star Bucks! It would seem that everyone has a knack for this ancient art. Quick, easy and highly rewarding, this book is sure to ignite or rekindle your philosophical passions. It certainly did for me, anyway. Good for both beginning interlocutors and the most advanced philosophical heavyweights.
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Summary: Good prep for 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'!
Review: A valuable reminder of the perennial futility of all philosophical pretensions to 'inquiry'. The book does a good job illustrating how one must perforce get sufficiently fed up with dualistic blather before delving into the scientist's and mystic's perennial way out of the rathole of all such puerile 'inquiry', as shown in, for example, the allegory of Socrates' Cave, and of course, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'!
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Summary: A good book that doesn't disguise its agenda
Review: Although I enjoyed the read, I must say that Phillips tends to paint his program of socratic dialogues in the best light he can afford. I think that the Socrates Cafe concept is a great idea. Let's bring philosophy back to the people, but let's be realistic. Phillips hopes that his readers will be so moved as to begin a chapter and set off pursuing knowledge and an understanding of their world. But he doesn't touch on the potential problems and pitfalls of the program until the end of the book (in the FAQ section for those interested in beginning a chapter). And let's be realistic, the purpose of this book is to promote his group.
Still, it's a good read that promotes not only philosophical dialogue, but also social improvement. And, if nothing else, it'll hopefully get more and more people interested in philosophy.
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Summary: To Bring Wisdom to Life
Review: Christopher Phillips has written an engaging, if somewhat over-simple book describing the project of his middle-age and, apparently, the dream of a lifetime in being a Socratic teacher.The book describes how Phillips left his life as a free-lance writer for the even more unstable and risk-driven career of teaching people how to question and how to think -- about philosophy in short. And question Phillips does, in cafes, bookstores, prisons, schools for at risk children, old-age homes, and anywhere else he can find people who are willing to question and discuss. It is only late in the book that we learn some of the "why" of Phillips' own quest- how he grew disatisfied with his professional, and apparently personal, life as well and come to the conclusion that he needed to devote himself to an activity he deemed worthwhile. He became a Socratic questioner, went back to school to earn several masters degrees in process, and found himself a wife from among his students. The chapter in which Phillips describes his quest and finds his wife to be is for me the best in the book. The Socratic dialoges themselves are a mixed bag on subjects that range from trivial to serious with comments that range from insightful to trite. The dialogues are less than truly Socratic in that Socrates generally coversed with one interlocutor at a time and kept the discussion focused on the matter at hand as an aid to approximate the truth. The procedure and comments in the book are, alas, to undisciplined to stand with what Socrates had in mind and seem at times to degenerate into bull or rap sessions. No terrible harm in that. Some people, old and young, appear to be genuinely moved and interested by their first attempt to think clearly about important matters. If only a few people learn to think and to study deeper than they might otherwise have done, Phillips's efforts will be amply repaid. There is a too easy criticism of academic philosophy in the book which, however, is understandable given the nature of the author's goals. There is good discussion of contemporary American thinkers such as Walter Kaufmann and John Randall. Most importantly, of course there is the discussion of Socrates and his great student Plato, and on the influence they have exerted since their times on anybody who has grappled with their thought and learned to question and love the life of the mind -- which is the life of the heart and the soul when schooled. This book is hardly the last word in philosophical thinking but it does not claim to be. May it awaken readers to a sense of wonder and reflection and thought.
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Summary: ought to part of every university curriculum
Review: dispense with flatulent slogs through Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, bloated icon of hippie intellectualism. Read this instead. Have your kids read this. Have your students read this. Have your church groups read this. It's about two things, the social life of the mind and the mental life of the community. How you think for yourself while thinking with others. Powerful, necessary, humanizing. Can you be rigorous without being a prig ? Can you have convictions without being a constipated moralizer ? Can liberalism coexist with conservatism, or have both gone off the rails ? You won't find answers here, but you will find the path to knowing how to ask questions, and why you should. "The unexamined life isn't worth living" -Socrates "The unlived life isn't worth examining" -Robert Hughes
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Summary: It's Surprising What's Left Out...
Review: Frankly, the idea of philosphical discussion isn't a bad one, but what this book leaves out- both in the author's personal narrative, as well as the dialogues- speaks volumes for what is wrong with philosphical discourse in this time and locale. First, Philips devotes not one word to non-Western philosophies, which is amazing considering that the guy has an M.A. in philosphy. The fact that these philosphies are absent from the discourse means most importantly that the concrete application of one's "love of wisdom" is absent from this book. That means, among other things, that Philips sees his "Socrates" synthesis as somehow superior to those who lead a "mundane" life. Unfortunately for Philips, it's the "mundane" that provide the means for him, directly or indirectly, for him to hold is cafes. (If perhaps Philips had been familiar with Eihei Dogen, he'd have seen the "mundane" in a different light.) The book seems therefore to offer little real insight - despite the claims in the book- into Philips himself. Yeah, he had a mid-life crisis. Yeah, he thought his life wasn't "exciting" enough. Yeah, he got educated in Western philosphy and started being a "Johnny Appleseed" disseminating Socratic methods. But that's no answer to the concrete problems that many in life face- probably including Philips himself. Ultimately, he's not much to emulate. Philips' Socratic method is limited, it seems, to ideas only- not actions, and that makes this reader feel that the whole enterprise is kind of impotent. Along a similar line, another thing that's absent from this book is any major take on deconstruction and other post-modern trends. One might suspect the former is absent because of the devastating criticism of Plato made by Derrida. Regardless, it's a gaping hole in the book. Still, as I said before, any book that gets ordinary people to think about things- and question their beliefs, is hardly a bad one. For that alone, I give it 3 stars. Its embedded tutorials on great Western philosphers are quite good too. Still, if I were to introduce anyone to this particular area, I'd still start with Russell's History of Western Philosphy.
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Summary: Much preferred Sophie's World
Review: Fresh?? I got such an impression of the writer's ego from this book as to be absolutely unbearable. If you are like me, in constant search of enlightenment, you will not find it here.
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Summary: Easy to Read and Interesting
Review: I bought this book upon the suggestion of a friend so I'd have something relatively easy to read on a flight. It not only fulfilled its intended purpose but also proved to be intelectually stimulating and thought-provoking. The author cleverly worked in mini-lessons about a number of philosophers and explored a variety of philosophical subjects. My main criticism is that the book only skimmed the surface; it didn't go very deep into the issues. (For a book that does present the basic arguments and definitions regarding issues of philosophical contention, try Mortimer Adler's How to Think About the Great Ideas.) I do recommend this book, as long as you don't expect too much from it.
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Summary: Is this philosophy?
Review: I got this book as a present from a friend who knows me very well. He knew this kind of book would interest me and as a matter of fact I was very exited and could hardly wait to start reading it. I am share the authors ideas about DOING philosophy instead of writing long, unreadable analytic essays about esoteric topics which are far from what philosophy SHOULD be about. My first sense of disappointment started upon reading the authors introduction. Phillips says more than once he does not want to be a Guru, or to tell people how to live their lives, but unfortunately that is exactly what he does (try replacing the term 'Socrates cafe' in the introduction by the term 'meditation' and see what you get...). However, my enthusiasm for the 'concept' of the book made me overlook this issue and keep on reading. However it didn't last long enough to get me through the book. Eventually I did not finish reading it. It could be interesting having a philosophical discussion in different and 'original' contexts, however it is non-the-less important to have a discussion worth reading - i.e. saying something more than the obvious. I think Phillips understands this point, and this is the reason he did not write down a log of his conversations. The few discussions I read were all superficial. They raised a few questions regarding the topic at stake, but never took more than the first step in understanding even the question itself. I admit my disappointment could be a matter of my high expectations from it, and from thinking it is not just another trivial 'introduction to philosophy' book - because as such it may be very interesting. Maybe I will get to reading the end of the book someday, and maybe that day I would understand that I missed the whole point of the book, and it was I being superficial and not the book, but till that day arrives my disappointment from the book remains...
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Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I have only been a fan of the Socratic dialogue for a short time, and of Greek philosophy in general. But when I read this book, it was as if Socrates were speaking to me directly. Often hilarious, and always fascinating, this book is a must read for anyone and everyone--whether you can recite Plato's "Republic" verbatim, or you have never even heard the word 'philosophy' in your entire life, this book will move your soul in ways you never knew it could....
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