Alliance francaise du Bengale & Culture Monks are very happy to bring to you Cafe Philo in Kolkata, Cafe Philo is supported by Iris Home Fragrance.
Kolkata has been home to the greatest thinkers, activists, politicians and artists in the contemporary history of India. ´Addas’ which are casual but critical discourses on politics, society & culture are very much part of the urban ritual in the city. Blessed with vibrant and beautiful cafes & spaces – both old and new the city is the perfect place for Cafe Philo.
Cafe Philo will not only be held in cafes but in a variety of spaces which makes it accessible for all sections of the citizens participate in curated and moderated sessions of discussions on philosophy or related to philosophy. The sessions will be moderated by philosophers and anyone will be able to participate in these sessions along the chosen themes.
A bit about the history and legacy of Cafe Philo :
Cafe Philosophique
By Joshua Glenn
In 1992 Marc Sautet, a lecturer in philosophy, decided that a promising academic career just wasn’t enough. So he invited some friends to participate in a pugilats d’ides (“conceptual fisticuffs”) for two hours every Sunday morning, at the Cafe des Phares on the Parisian Place de la Bastille. Sautet’s “Cafe Philosophique” (as it came to be called, or cafe-philo for short) seems to have filled a void that people didn’t realize they had. University students, idle wealthy women, off-duty cab drivers, and eccentric citizens off the street began to show up, week after week, to discuss subjects as abstract as truth and beauty and as concrete as sex and death.
The American Philosophical Practitioners Association explains that “a philosopher’s cafe is not a philosophy lecture; the philosopher presides only as a moderator, to maintain the conversation on a philosophical footing. The discussion is thoughtful but nontechnical. You will be challenged to defend your beliefs or opinions, but you will not be asked to refer to a list of philosophy books in order to support your views. In fact, the opposite is usually true: Instead of showing off your erudition by referring to great works you may have studied, you will be obliged to think for yourself, to give your own reasons for the views you hold.”
We will update soon about the next Cafe Philo program.
For any queries please contact sudipta@culturemonks.in
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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