Christopher Phillips (1)

Been on my shelf since forever. You get a rough idea of what the author is trying to do with his philosophical gatherings from the gonzo style reporting of them, and tying it back from practical examples of dialogues to dropping some theory or background information sort of works as a format, but it's ultimately messy and unsatisfactory. Do you really want to read in detail about every Tom, Dick and Harry that showed up to such and such event and said something half baked or moderately show more profound? Do you want to hear what the weather was, how they sipped their coffee or what facial expressions they made during the encounter? The author is swimming in a sea of breezy conversations with new acquaintances and it's very hard to be engaged in the third hand recounting.

But isn't this doing Socratic dialogue? Well, sort of. Does anyone actually believe the dialogues aren't idealized accounts? In a real world setting, and surely for Socrates - assuming he actually existed and did what Plato claimed - going around asking philosophical questions results in what we see in this book. Something meaningful for participants, surely - but meaningful as an outside third hand party that isn't participating in the discussion? Not really. show less

Those of us interested in longevity and remaining young, fit and healthy as long as possible, realise early on that it all begins in the mind. If the mind is not on board for an extended lifespan then the brain and body simply isn’t going to go there.

While this book doesn’t look specifically into the longevity benefits of a youthful mind it still has plenty to teach us. This book is a wonderfully detailed look at the minds of all stages and ages of life and how we interact with each show more other – and Christopher isn’t shy of giving plenty of thoughts on what is wrong with our current view and treatment of young people and how that is impacting on adults and society as a whole. As Christopher is a parent himself this book does give a few thoughts on parenting without being preachy about anything and i would definitely recommend it for parents or aspiring parents.

But Christopher is also very clearly a Socratic philosopher, and this book, i feel, continues the ideas of Socrates in how society, not just parents, should relate to and listen to young people. I do find it incredibly disheartening that after more than 2000 years since Socrates execution for simply doing what Christopher prescribes in this book that adults still aren’t engaging with young people and giving them their rightful place within society. And then adult society has the audacity to blame young people for causing the problems.

Whether you’re a parent, a philospher, a youth worker, or someone simply interested in creating a better world, this book is a very good read and well worth getting a copy. show less

I wasn't entirely thrilled with this book, maybe because of the constant theme of astonishment at the ability of ordinary people to provide interesting answers to philosophical questions, which felt awfully cynical and condescending to me. Otherwise, though, this book champions an interesting concept, the development of philosophy clubs as a popular pastime. Getting people together to talk about stuff could certainly be a fantastic way to help improve communities, and the 'Socratic' question show more model that Phillips demonstrates in this book seems easy enough to adapt to any group's needs. show less

Christopher Phillips is a man on a mission. A mission to bring philosophy back to the people as it was in Socrates day. Christopher Phillips travels around the world, facilitating hundreds of Socrates Cafés, in which ordinary people gather to ask questions--and questions about questions. He has been a teacher, a journalist, and is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Society for Philosophical Inquiry (SPI). Mr. Phillips feels that it should not be only in the world of show more academia but that people, common everyday people, should be able to discuss, what is the meaning of?

Written through the experience of the author, as he traveled city to city I felt included in the discovery and discussion that took place. It creates an avenue to expand and develop thinking skill. The books give questions the power to focus your thoughts and maybe help with giving your life a direction you may or may not have considered or taken. It improves your thinking analytically so you are better able to cut through the crap of everyday life.
I liked the topic of recreating public discussions that are thoughtful and challenges you to see from someone else’s prospective but doesn’t digress into insults. It is surprising how powerful a question can be or how it challenges your belief and forces you to think deeply about what you know. The questioning will either force you to reinforce what you believe through further study or cause you to abandon it all together. For myself, I think to will drive me to study with more depth.
This books shows that thoughtful thinkers are not bound by colleges and universities or people with acronyms behind there names but can be found anywhere and everywhere. All that is required is the courage to ask a question. show less