Tag Archive for 'philosophy'

Over the weekend, a friend of mine told me I should apply to some PhD programs.  I’ve been losing sleep over some very fundamental philosophical questions lately:

• If life is a social construct; how do we define the origins of the seeds of thought.  If every idea we have is shaped by what’s come  before; how can even at the start of ration thought pinpoint an original idea.  The origins of influence leads to  a sort of chicken and egg debate that will ultimately remain unresolved.
• Power is an oxymoron.  Power is delegated to individuals by the masses who can choose to strip it at any time.  (Hilary Clinton is experiencing that loss of big name power as voters are choosing Obama again and again in primary after primary.)  Those who proclaim to be powerful can lose it at any moment based on the will of the people, so ultimately they have no power at all because that power relies on the support of an interdependent network.

While I love discussing these sorts of issues, I think writing papers on them  is a pain in the ass. So I have no inclination to go back to school again just yet.   What I did point out is that I’d love to find a salon of sorts.  A place I could go and talk about major philosophical and everyday issues with other intellectual types, all in the name of stimulating debate.  But where does one go for that sort of experience in Los Angeles.

This evening I stumbled across Conversation Cafe, which is a “a non-profit and charitable organization that seeks to foster a cooperative human community in a diverse, yet interconnected world by creating and disseminating practical tools and innovative approaches to personal and cultural change.”  The 2008 Conversation Week takes place March 24-30th encouraging people to engage in a local or online dialogue about import issues facing humanity.    Sounds up my alley.

Until February 27th, you can vote on which of the 50 finalist questions should make the final cut of 10 Questions to focus on in 2008.  You can take a look at last year’s questions  to see what to expect in March.  One of the ones I found most interesting:

How much is enough? For you? For others?
What is enough anyway? Is it having what you need? Want? What others have? Everything? When have you felt full satisfied and relaxed with no need for more? What else do you need – materially or spiritually – to feel happy? What are those basics we should all have enough of? Whose responsibility is it to make sure we all have our basic needs met? What makes people who have plenty dissatisfied with their lot in life? What do we owe the poor? What happens to people’s souls, families, communities and the world when wealth is distributed unfairly? How can we have a world where there is enough for everyone, and everyone has enough?