A new venture is about to start in the Rose Theatre – a “Philosophy Café” where anyone interested in philosophy, from novices to experts, can come along to discuss a range of fascinating and challenging topics in a relaxed, sociable setting.
The first meeting, on Thursday 4th September, starting at 7.30pm in the Rose Theatre Studio, will be a discussion on "What is Philosophy?" led by Barrie Selwyn, Principal of Kingston Adult Education, and chaired by Marilyn Mason, organiser of the Philosophy Café. This seems to them a good place to start as it will give participants an idea of the possible scope of future discussions as well as leading on fairly naturally to the topic for October and November, "Is it Art?". The monthly Thursday evening discussions will be free and open to anyone, and the intention is to be both philosophically rigorous and convivial, hence the informal meeting place where participants can mingle and buy drinks and light refreshments.
Kingston Philosophy Café begins life as the outcome of a collaboration between Marilyn, who directed the Market House Festival in April this year, and Barrie. Both have taught and enjoyed philosophy themselves and look forward to sharing their interest with others in Kingston. They hope that eventually participants will take ownership of the Philosophy Café themselves and make it more or less self-sustaining.
“In some ways,” says Marilyn, “this is a spin-off from the Market House Festival – another attempt to make Kingston more varied and interesting in the evenings. I’ve been to the occasional Café Philosophique, and they tend to be as good as their participants – and, as debates and discussions were particularly successful events during the Festival, I’m quite optimistic about how this will go in Kingston. I’m also really grateful to the Rose Theatre for letting us use such a nice space in the theatre for this community enterprise.”