Asking questions is for everyone - so get involved
WHEN you think of someone interested in philosophy, what do you picture?
Someone with lots of money – enough to afford an elite academic education?
Someone who always has their head in a book?
These answers are not necessarily incorrect but equally they are not verbatim.
Philosophy in Pubs (or ‘PIPs’ for short) is an international scheme which aims to deconstruct preconceptions that philosophy exists solely as dinner time chatter for the upper class.
‘PIPs’ was created in 2001 by Rob Lewis who aimed to move philosophy away from ‘the socially disjointed role it has, as commonplace amongst an academic elite and closer to the grass roots of community.’
Pubs as a venue may at first seem in contrast to the imagery of Seneca and Corinthian pillars but are really a genius location.
They are often a place of discussion and community, a place where live music and comedy is performed and where people from all different walks of life come to connect and have a drink.
( https:// philosophyinpubs. co. uk/ page/view/about )
But what is philosophy?
Is it not at its core connecting and having conversation?
A spark is raised such as ‘should pineapple exist on pizza’ and people contribute:
‘That’s disgusting, it’s like having strawberries in a Caesar salad’
‘There are plenty of unconventional food combinations, like chilli and chocolate - I think it’s normal’
It could be raised that this conversation is a twist on aesthetics philosophy: the argument between an aesthetic concept (the pizza) and the critic (the general population).
Believe it or not, most conversations you participate in can be linked back to a concept such as this.
So why is philosophy’s value so often dismissed if it is something which constantly surrounds us?
Shelly Kagan, a philosophy professor at Yale university argues in his essay ‘Why Study Philosophy?’, that this is likely because many people do not view it as having any instrumental value.
Within fields like engineering, there is a measurable advantage to the pursuit of it – it builds bridges, better cars.
Within philosophy there seems to be no quantifiable benefit.
Some would argue that it asks important questions such as ‘What is the point of the human existence?’.
However, these are questions which usually only receive half an answer.
Philosophy seems to be stagnant – you begin confused and you end confused.
Kagan argues that philosophy has intrinsic value in a similar way in which pleasure or family has intrinsic value.
The pursuit of knowledge is within itself a valuable thing.
Additionally, it could be viewed as the pursuit of self-knowledge and inward reflection as we interrogate our perspectives on the world.
For instance, imagine someone who has no knowledge of who their true friends are, even if they never learnt of this deception, you would not argue that this was someone living a fulfilling life.
Philosophy will usually preside in group settings of discussion.
You each discuss your perspectives on a spark (such as the one forementioned).
You aim to express yourself in a way that is articulate and precise whilst ruminating on the view you put forward.
Surely there is instrumental and intrinsic value to being able to express yourself; it’s something you do every day.
Some topics which have been/ will be used in discussions in PIPs group across the globe include ‘Swearing’, ‘Death, Dying and Euthanasia!’, ‘How do jokes work?’, and ‘ Should the state interfere with religion’, (https://philosophyinpubs.co.uk/schedule/all/schedule)
In terms of topics, there is something for everyone, and you would be surprised how the most grandiose political issues can be shone in a completely different light through the lense of philosophy.
If you are interested in joining a ‘PIPs’ group, Grimsby is currently hosting an online group.
This Thursday, November 25, the topic of discussion will be ‘Is there such a thing as madness?’.
Find out details about joining the group on their website: https:// pipsgy.wordpress.com/calendar/