To keep SOPHIA going takes a number of activities, such as planning, community-building, fundraising, and more.
A group of SOPHIA members will meet and lead a discussion about Episode 1 of Philosophy Bakes Bread, on The Molemen and Plato’s Cave Today, with the University of Kentucky Philosophy Club!
If you can listen to the episode in advance, great! If not, no worries, as we have the handout about it so that we’re all on the same page.
Here’s the episode: https://
The meeting is meant to be genuinely conversational, and to introduce people to what SOPHIA is all about.
Join us!
| Date: | November 29, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 04:00-05:00 p.m. |
| Event: | Lexington SOPHIA Group Chat about Plato's Cave Today |
| Topic: | Plato's Cave Today |
| Sponsor: | The University of Kentucky Philosophy Club |
| Venue: | White Hall, room 231 |
| Location: | 140 Patterson Drive Lexington, KY 40506 USA |
| Public: | Public |
Not a member of SOPHIA yet? Consider joining!
When our ancestors lived in caves, every tool was a prized possession. Furs for comfort and drawings to decorate the cave were difficult to come by. They were passed down from generation to generation.
Photo courtesy of Paul Brennan, CC0.
Later, when human productivity made the goods of the world readily available, our grandparents became collectors. Growing control over nature enabled them to stockpile everything imaginable, converting their homes into storage units.
Some claim this was in response to the tough times of the Great Depression. Others attribute it to smart shopping: buying on sale is a great saving, even if you never use the item.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Keith, CC0.
The important idea is that the twenty-eighth sweater and the 5-pound Ketchup bottle are there, ready to be used…if, that is, they can be found. “You never know when it’ll come in handy” is a great justification if what you look for is not lost in the clutter.
We feel it impossible to discard perfectly usable clothing even if we have no intention of ever using it. Surely, there is nothing wrong with keeping food that is only a few months past the expiration date. And though we have no interest in the second treadmill a friend wants to give away, we’ll manage to find a place for it.
Courtesy of Flickr, CCO, some rights reserved.
There is always room for the next coffee table and, after a good sale, the clothes in the closets just have to be compressed a little more. Eventually, the stuff we collect invades all rooms and peaks out from under the beds.
The moment of truth comes when we have to move. The death of a loved one or a divorce reveals the momentousness of the collection. Every item has memories attached, everything cries to be preserved. Discarding anything feels like losing a friend.
Photo courtesy of Dwight Burdette, CCO.
Is there a solution? Only one as radical as surgery is for cancer. Take ten items you cannot live without. Leave everything in place and get a couple of friends to bring their friends to carry away whatever they want. What is left can go to charity.
What we value says a lot about who we are. Look over the ten objects you kept. What do they say about you?
Dr. John Lachs is Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA).
We are calling for applications for seed grants for up to $600, to support efforts to start SOPHIA Chapters at the local or online levels. The deadline for applications is October 15th, 2017.
Application document with instructions: in MS Word format or in Adobe PDF format
Application-only files: in MS Word format or in Adobe PDF format
Applications should be emailed to us at PhilosophersInAmerica@gmail.com, preferably in Adobe PDF format, by October 15th, 2017. We are happy to answer questions in advance, sent to the same email address.
SOPHIA is honored to have been chosen for the 2017 prize from the American Philosophical Association and the Philosophy Documentation Center for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs! News about the prize and some comments from the chair of the selection committee were posted on the APA’s blog. We are most grateful to the APA and to the PDC!
The award will be conferred at the 2018 meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, to be held between January 3rd & 6th in Savannah, Georgia.
According to the press release from Grand Valley State University:
“Lake was nominated for the award by Jessica Jennrich, director of the Gayle R. Davis Center for Women & Gender Equity, who said Lake has ‘an uncanny skill to link civic projects to tangible outcomes for both students and the community.’
“Lake has designed and taught Community Based Learning courses on food security issues and wicked problems, and hosted learning communities on engagement for faculty members. She is a research team leader for the Grand Rapids Engaged Department Initiative (GREDI), a collaborative effort among Grand Valley, Grand Rapids Community College and Aquinas College to connect classrooms with community.”