"What Is Play vs. Work?" A thinkPhilosophy Salon
At what times and in what spaces do we feel most playful? Have you ever wanted
to play at work, and work seriously at some form of play? What are the rules
that govern our favorite forms of play, and how is this different from our
attitudes towards work? They say that what we do for a living says a lot about
us, but what do the kinds of play that we choose say? What political practices
might follow from taking play seriously? Come interrogate the possibilities of
play. A thinkPhilosophy Salon: Philosopher led adventures into questions of
Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Moderated by D. Rita Alfonso, Ph.D. in Philosophy
and U.C. Berkeley visiting faculty. Sunday, March 15th, 7-9pm at Femina Potens
(2199 Market Street and Sanchez, SF, CA 94114). $$$Pay what you think it's
worth! Need more info? www.thinkPhilosophy.org / info@...

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What Happens at a Philosophy Salon?
Modeled on the Socratic Dialogues, the Philosophy Salon is an opportunity to ask
philosophical questions, test ideas, and question assumptions. A well
structured dialogue follows these crucial steps:

1. POSING THE QUESTION. The salon will open with the posing of a philosophical
question, such as "What Is A Good Friend?," and participants will take a couple
minutes to jot down the first answer that comes to mind.

2. INTRODUCTIONS. Then, we will go around the room and each person will state
their name and a preliminary answer to our question. Anyone who does not wish to
give a preliminary answer can simply say "Pass."

3. DISCUSSION. The moderator will open the floor to discussion. I like to use a
"talking stick" for this portion of the program. Whomever has the "stick" gets
to speak, and they get to chose who speaks next by passing the "Stick" to them.

4. SEEKING IDENTITY. After everyone who wants to speak has gotten to do so (at
least once, depending on the size of the group), the moderator will ask everyone
to begin to identify what all of these answers and examples have in common. We
are searching for the identity across difference for the thing in question.
Usually no easy task…

5. DIFFERENTIA AND APORIA. The differences between the examples and
counterexamples offered will lead us organically to the differentia: that which
sets one idea apart from other ones. One of the key effects of Socratic dialogue
is the experience of aporia – of getting "stuck" in the process, of encountering
what we don't or can't know, of facing our own ignorance or indecision – leading
(ultimately) to philosophical wonder. It feels a little like an intellectual
dizziness - so, look out for this!