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Skeptical
Philosophy for Everyone is
a deliberate recounting of skepticism's
role in the development of philosophy.
Richard H. Popkin and Avrum Stroll contend
that the history of philosophy has been
propelled largely by skepticism, or more
precisely, responses to skepticism. They
distinguish between everyday skepticism,
defined as skepticism about facts, and
philosophical skepticism, the sort of
thorough-going skepticism that denies we
know anything at all. It is the latter
kind of skepticism that, in their view,
has driven Western thought.
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The Simpsons
and Philosophy
No doubt Aristotle just rolled over in
his grave. An essay called "Homer and
Aristotle" would appear to be a treatise
on two ancient Greek thinkers; in the case
of The Simpsons and Philosophy: The
D'oh! of Homer, it is a depiction of
Homer Simpson's Aristotelian virtues. Raja
Halwani's "Homeric" essay is amusing
though, and moreover, it actually ends up
being enlightening, especially for those
just learning Aristotle's ethics. Bart may
be a Nietzschean without knowing it, Mr.
Burns is a cipher for unhappiness (except
when he eats "so-called 'iced-cream'"),
and Ned Flanders raises questions about
neighborly love. The book has a lot to say
about The Simpsons and even more to say
about philosophy.
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Socrates Cafe:
A Fresh Taste of Philosophy
For Christopher Phillips, philosophy is
a passion: it is not so much a discipline
to be learned as an experience to be
lived. Taking his cue from Socrates, the
inaugurator of the Western philosophical
tradition, Phillips embarks on a search
for truth and meaning through a series of
conversations that is at once refreshing,
humorous, troubling, confusing,
encouraging, depressing, and provocative.
What makes Plato's Socratic dialogues so
enduring -- and Phillips's book so
intriguing -- is that for both Plato and
Phillips, philosophy is not something you
read or study. It is something you do.
Plato wrote in "Parmenides" "that
without wandering around and examining
everything in detail one is unable to
secure understanding." Phillips takes this
approach--the Socratic approach--to heart.
In the course of "Socrates Café,"
he travels around asking questions of
everyone who's interested. Just like the
real Socrates, who did not confine himself
to the Athenian ivory tower, Phillips
searches out public conversations -- what
he calls Socrates Cafés -- with
children, seniors, psychiatrists,
prisoners, ex-academics, students,
lawyers, and everyday people. In a sense,
the book is a series of short, modern-day
Socratic dialogues interspersed with
meditations on the nature of philosophical
inquiry.
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