PRESS RELEASE, 6/9/08: Encouraging start to Kingston Philosophy Café
About 40 people turned up in the Studio of the Rose Theatre on the evening of September 4th for the first Kingston Philosophy Café. “What is Philosophy?”, led by Barrie Selwyn and Rod Piggott of Kingston Adult Education, proved a surprisingly provocative question, and a lively discussion followed their opening presentations. Organiser of Kingston Philosophy Café Marilyn Mason commented: “The numbers who came along and who joined in confirmed that there is a really healthy appetite for intelligent conversation in Kingston.”
The next meeting, the first of two discussing “Is it Art?”, will be in the bar area of the Rose Theatre, on Thursday 2nd October from 6.00pm to 7.30pm. Questions will include: Can any definition include both the Mona Lisa and Martin Creed's latest work at the Tate? Does it matter? Should we be more concerned with deciding whether artworks are any good? Is it all hopelessly subjective, just a matter of taste? There will be some pictures of artworks on display during the evening, and participants are invited to bring their own examples as well. The second session, on Thursday 6th November, will include a recap and then a collaborative attempt to arrive at a theory of art that includes all the things participants think of as art and excludes the rest. That's quite a tough task.
Kingston Philosophy Café meets once a month in the Rose Theatre, High Street, Kingston to discuss a range of fascinating and challenging philosophical topics seriously and rigorously in an informal and sociable setting – an opportunity for meaningful conversation about new ideas with new people. Meetings are free and open to all – anyone interested in philosophy is welcome and no prior knowledge or expertise is needed, though experts, philosophy teachers and students are very welcome. Come along at 5.30pm to meet in the Rose Theatre Café and buy drinks before discussions begin upstairs at 6.00pm.