http://eyeecity.multiply.com/links/item/112/112
The Philosophy Café in Vancouver, Canada
Peter B. Raabe Ph.D.
(This is an outdoor philosophy ‘café’ on a sandy beach on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The facilitator, Peter Raabe is the man in the white hat under the umbrella.)
If you wanted to talk with others about the meaning of life, or what it means to be a good person, or whether God exists where would you go? In our Canadian society it’s often said that, in order to avoid offence, one should not discuss politics, sex, or religion. So when people do gather together, conversation is politely focused on the latest hockey game or the weather. And yet politics, sex, and religion are the three most important topics in life!
If you’re in university these sort of conversations might take place in a class such as philosophy or perhaps psychology. But for most people in the everyday world this sort of conversation rarely if ever happens. And yet in many people there is a curiosity about these questions that is never satisfied, and a hunger for answers that must be ignored because the food for thought is just not available. How do I know that there is an interest in these sort of discussions? Because here in Vancouver you can find these discussions happening almost every week. There are twenty locations, and everyone is invited!
People are gathering in discussion groups, referred to as philosophy cafés, located in coffee shops, small restaurants, church basements, library meeting rooms, community centres, and even under a big umbrella on the beach (see the picture below)!
In 1997 I decided to start a philosophy discussion group. I found a very tiny coffee shop in a very small village not far from Vancouver called Deep Cove. I had heard about discussion groups in Europe and especially in France, called salons that were very popular. These organized salon were a natural extension of the casual get-togethers that occur on a daily basis in the sidewalk cafés and indoor restaurants where friends shared their thoughts over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. But here in North America sidewalk cafés are not popular in winter because of snow or rain, so the philosophy café is mostly an indoor activity.
The first thing I did was to make arrangements with the owner of the coffee shop in Deep Cove regarding the day of the week she would welcome a group gathering in her establishment. Then I put up a number of hand-made posters at a near by transit station to let people know about what I thought was the first philosophy café in all of Canada. A few days later I received a surprising phone call from professor Yosef Wosk at Simon Fraser University (SFU) asking me about the posters for our little café.
“Have you heard about the café I just started in downtown Vancouver?” he asked. Of course I hadn’t, and to both of our amazements we realized that we had come up with the same idea and started our respective cafés almost on the same day. Yosef invited me to join his effort in organizing the promotion of these cafés throughout our area. With the support of his university he and his staff found venues, recruited moderators or facilitators, and, as the movement grew, published a program which informed the public of the topics under discussion and locations of the various cafés. And now, 12 years, 11,000 cafés and 70,000 participants later, philosophy cafés are not only found across Metro Vancouver, they are catching on in cities all over the province, across Canada, as well as internationally, from England to Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
In 1999 the Philosophers' Café was presented with an Award of Excellence from CAUCE (The Canadian Association for University Continuing Education). In 2003 one of the foremost newspapers in Canada said the philosophy café “might be the most successful continuing education program in the country.” Diane Mar-Nicolle, is the program assistant with the Philosopher’s Café at SFU. She says, “Locally, we’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in attendance since 2007/2008.”
But what exactly is a philosophy café?
To begin with, a philosophy café is not a classroom since there is no intentional teaching by an expert and authority figure. At times the moderator or facilitator does know a lot about the topic under discussion, but at many other times there are others in the group who know far more about the topic than the moderator/facilitator. There are no formal lectures, although at times a participant may talk so long that it seems like he or she is lecturing. By the way when this happens it is up to the moderator/facilitator to step in and respectfully stop the monologue. But more about the moderator/facilitator later. While there are no academic credits for participation in a philosophy café, although there are many intellectual and emotional rewards, there are also none of the traditional worries associated with academic work, such as exam stress, fear of failure, and so on.
A philosophy café is not a reading group or book club and yet, when the topic is announced ahead of the café date, participants often come prepare by having read various sources or researched the topic on the web. As a moderator/facilitator I always prepared by researching the topics and having a few questions written down in case my thinking stalled later on in the evening. Again, the moderator/facilitator is not meant to lecture on the topic. His or her job is to introduce the topic, to keep the discussion on topic, and to prevent fist fights. Of course this last is an exaggeration, there has never been a threat of violence at any of my cafés. But sometimes verbal aggression can arise, so, just like a teacher in a classroom must remind students to be respectful of each other, so the moderator/facilitator must at times remind newcomers to be respectful.
Most importantly, I think, is that a philosophy café is not a place for debate. By debate I mean a competitive discussion where one tries to win. The problem with winning an argument is that one can win and still be wrong. A philosophy café is not about either competition or winning. It is, again, a respectful discussion among equal individuals, some of whom may now more about the topic than others, for the purpose and coming to a better understanding of the issues involved in the topic and perhaps a new perspective on what to think about it. It is a mutual sharing of beliefs and the reasons we have for those beliefs, along with an offer to help others understand one’s own perspective. In a well-run café there is a generosity among participants and a willingness to be of assistance to each other. This doesn’t mean that discussion is always quiet and genteel. In fact some of the best cafés I have facilitated were ones where discussion became very passionate.
Moderators and facilitators come is all shapes and sizes, and with varying levels of experience. Some have no formal academic experience in leading group discussions but that doesn’t really matter. All it takes is a person with a good personality: the ability to listen, to empathise, to ask open-ended questions that challenge but don’t provoke, and to keep the conversation on topic and respectful. There have been a few philosophy professors who have been moderator/facilitators, but there have also been retired military officers, one-time politicians, students, artists and others who have led the discussions..
But a good philosophy café is more than just a group discussion. Part of the pleasure in the evening is in sharing good food and drink. I always encouraged participants to purchase items from the establishment to show their appreciation to the owners for allowing us to gather there. It’s also a social gathering, a place to meet friends and to make new friends who appreciate the stimulation of good discussions. It’s not only a meeting in person, it’s a meaningful meeting of minds that goes well beyond anything possible on Twitter or Facebook. People are present to each other and real. And the discussions held at the café, the ideas raised about the good life, the concerns expressed over social injustice, and so on, have often gone out the door of the café and lead to concrete action in the community.
Besides our regular cafés, the SFU philosophy café program has developed special editions that feature various multicultural communities, as well as moderated gatherings for business, seniors, teens, and the disenfranchised. There are also cafés whose topics always centre around a specific theme such as politics, the environment, religion or spirituality, a specific languages, and mental health and mental illness issues. With the help of a printed program, that is also available on-line, people can choose a theme and a topic that interests them, and a location that is most convenient.
My cafés were always on the middle Wednesday of the month, because that’s when the little Deep Cove café was the most quiet. The café ran for two hours with a 15 minute break in the middle. I started mine by announcing the topic for those who weren’t already aware of it. All topics in my café came from suggestions by participants. I just made sure their suggestions were phrased in a philosophical style rather than as empirical questions where we could simply look the answers up in an encyclopaedia or science book. The I would ask if anyone had any personal experiences in regards to the topic. This served two purposes: first it took the topic beyond a theoretical discussion and made showed how it was relevant to real-life situations; and second, after a few personal experiences, it illustrated to everyone how differently the topic might be interpreted. This way the facilitator was not the dictator of how the topic should be approached. During these early few minutes questions were not allowed; personal experiences are to be respected not debated. I also found that the sharing of personal experiences was a wonderful way for people in the group to get to know each other better, and to appreciate some of the difficult life situations some had to endure and overcome.
When no one had any more personal experiences to offer the topic was open for general discussion. In our café the topics were incredibly varied because we weren’t committed to any specific theme. Participants came with all sort of ideas, such as What is success? Can science be trusted? When should we feel guilt and shame? What is the purpose of an economy? What is the cost of human progress? When is legal not moral? The list of topics is absolutely endless. And any one of these topics can be repeated many times because each discussion will raise different thoughts and opinions from the participants. I was the moderator/facilitator of a café for eight years and I enjoyed ever second of it. I eventually stopped because my teaching responsibilities had increased and, quite frankly I needed a break. But since then I have organized two cafés specializing in mental health and illness related issues and trained a number of senior students to be the moderator/facilitators at those café.
True to the name “philosophy café” the discussions at a philosophy café can be every bit as intellectually satisfying to the mind as a rich cup of coffee is to the tongue.
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Thanks to Prof Peter B. Raabe Ph.D. for granted permission to post this article in our blog.
Prof Peter Raabe is the first Canadian and one of very few people internationally to be awarded a doctorate for his work in philosophical counselling. You could read more about him from his website.
http://www.ufv.ca/faculty/philosophy/raabep/index.html
We hope eye e city could have the similar discussion session in future.
extracted from eye e city
http://eyeecity.multiply.com/links/item/112/112
温哥华的哲学家咖啡馆
Peter B. Raabe 着
林静秀 译
(这是户外的哲学家「咖啡馆」，就在太平洋岸的沙滩边。辅导员Peter Raabe是洋伞下着白帽的男子。)
如果你想要找人谈论，关于什么是生命的意义，什么是好人，上帝是否存在，你会去哪里？在加拿大，人们常说为了避免冒犯，不应该讨论政治、性、或宗教等话题。所以当人们聚在一起，谈话总是礼貌性地围绕在最近的曲棍球比赛或天气。然而，政治、性和宗教却是生活中最重要的三个课题！
如果你是在大学，这类的主题可能会出现在像是哲学或是心理学的课堂上。但是对于日常生活中的大多数人而言，这类的谈话却很罕见。然而，许多人对这类的问题是充满好奇的，他们的好奇却从来没有被满足过，他们对这类的答案是求知若渴的，可是却被忽略，他们思想的供给是非常不足够的。我是如何知道人们对这类的讨论感兴趣？因为在温哥华这里几乎每个礼拜你都可以发现有这类的讨论正在进行。我们已经有廿个据点，在向每个人招手！
人们聚集形成讨论小组就是哲学家咖啡馆，可以在咖啡馆、小餐馆、教会的地下室、图书馆的会议室、社区中心，甚至是沙滩的大洋伞下（见下图）
1997年我开始了哲学讨论小组。我在离温哥华不远处的小镇Deep Cove找到一间非常小的咖啡馆。我之前就听说欧洲有这样的讨论小组，特别在法国他们称之为沙龙相当的风行。这些有组织的沙龙是由偶然的聚集自然扩充成的，出现在人行道咖啡馆或者室内餐馆里的日常生活中，朋友们在喝咖啡或饮酒时分享彼此的想法。但是在北美这里的情况是，因为会下雪或下雨，人行道咖啡馆在冬天并不受欢迎，所以哲学家咖啡馆大部分是室内活动。
我做的第一件事是与Deep Cove咖啡馆的主人进行协调，她欢迎每周的一天在她的地方进行小组聚会。然后我在附近的车站张贴了几张手工海报，好让人们知道全加拿大第一家哲学家咖啡馆在做些什么。几天后，我接到一通惊喜的来电，是Simon Fraser(SFU)大学的Yosef Wosk教授打来询问我们的咖啡馆海报。
「你有听说过我刚在温哥华市区开始的哲学家咖啡馆吗？」他问道。我当然没有，这让我俩喜出望外，原来我们刚好有同样的想法，而且几乎在同一天开始我们个别的哲学家咖啡馆。Yosef邀请我加入他的工作，组织在各地推动哲学家咖啡馆。在他大学的支持下，他和他的同事寻找聚会地点，招募主持人或辅导员（facilitator），并且当这个运动日益增长，还开始出版刊物，以告知大众不同咖啡馆的讨论主题与聚会地点。现在，十二年过去了，已经有11,000家哲学家咖啡馆，有70,000个参与者，哲学家咖啡馆不只遍及大温哥华，还风行加拿大各省的城市，也在国际间从英国到苏格兰、澳洲、纽西兰和美国到处风行。
在1999年，哲学家咖啡馆获得CAUCE（The Canadian Association for University Continuing Eudcation；加拿大大学成人教育协会）颁发优良奖。在2003年，一份加拿大最重要的报纸表示哲学家咖啡馆「是国内最成功的成人教育计划。」SFU的哲学家咖啡馆计划助理Diane Mar-Nicolle说：「我们发现在某些地方从2007/2008年起出席持续有百分之四十的增长。」
但是究竟什么是哲学家咖啡馆？
首先，哲学家咖啡馆并不是课堂，没有专家或权威人士在教导。有的时候，主持人或辅导员的确会对讨论的主题了解较多，但是更多的时候是小组的其它成员对主题的了解远比主持人∕辅导员多。哲学家咖啡馆并不是正式的演讲，虽然有时候某个参与者可能滔滔不绝，像是他∕她在演讲。顺带一提，当这种状况发生，就要看主持人∕辅导员的决定，是否介入尊重地结束这种个人独白的状况。但是我们稍后还会多谈及主持人∕辅导员。虽然参与者无法在哲学家咖啡馆获得学分，但是他们会获得许多知性与感性的回馈，当然这里也没有传统上学业伴随的压力，像是考试压力、失败恐惧等。
哲学家咖啡馆也不是阅读小组或读书会，然而咖啡馆会在聚会前宣布讨论主题，参与者经常有备而来，事先阅读不同的材料，或者上网研究主题。作为一个主持人∕辅导员，我也总是会事前准备研究主题，并且写下几个问题，以免我的思路会在当晚稍后停顿。再次强调，主持人∕辅导员并不在针对主题演讲。他或她的工作是介绍主题，保持讨论围绕在主题上，并且避免拳脚相向。当然最后这一点是夸张了些，我们的咖啡馆从来没有出现过暴力威胁。但是，有时语言攻击可能会被挑起，所以，就像是在课堂上的老师必须提醒学生要彼此尊重，所以主持人∕辅导员偶而必须提醒新来的人要尊重。
我想，最重要的是哲学家咖啡馆不是个辩论的地方。我所谓的辩论指的是人们只想要赢的竞争性讨论。想要赢得争辩的问题在于，人们有可能赢了，但是仍然是错的。哲学家咖啡馆非关竞争或输赢。而是平等个体间相互尊重的讨论，有些人可能现在会对主题的掌握比别人多，为了达到对主题牵涉到的议题有更好的了解，或许我们需要从新的观点加以思考。哲学家咖啡馆在相互分享我们拥有的信念以及我们拥有这些信念的理由，所以还要帮助他人了解他们自身的观点。在运作良好的咖啡馆里，参与者是慷慨大方的，愿意彼此帮助。这当然不是意味讨论是安静温和的。事实上某些我辅导过的很好的咖啡馆，讨论是异常激烈的。
主持人∕辅导员有形形色色的人，各有不同的经验。有些人没有正式的学术背景也在带领小组讨论，但是那其实没有那么重要。重要的是这个人要有很好的性格：有聆听、同情的能力，可以提出开放性的问题挑战人却不煽动人，能够维持讨论围绕在主题上，并且对人尊重。我们曾经有几位哲学教授担任主持人∕辅导员，但是也有退休的军官、昔日的政治家、学生、艺术家在带领讨论。
但是，好的哲学家咖啡馆不会只进行小组讨论。夜晚的乐趣有部分是来自分享食物和饮料。我经常鼓励参与者买些我们所在地方的东西，好表示我们对主人让我们在这里聚集的感激。所以这里也是社交聚会，这个地方可以让我们见见朋友，可以认识能够欣赏良好讨论刺激的新朋友。这不只是本人现身的聚会，而是有意义的心灵聚会，远远超越在推特或脸书上可能发生的一切。人们彼此相互认识，是如此的真实。在咖啡馆开始的讨论，是对于美好生活的构想，是对于社会公义的关怀，经常会走出咖啡馆的大门，走向社区中的实质行动。
除了我们一般的咖啡馆活动，SFU哲学家咖啡馆的计划还发展出特殊版本，是以各式各样的多元文化社区为主，也有聚会是给商人、年长者、青少年、社会边缘人。另外也有咖啡馆的主题是围绕在特定题目上，像是政治、环境、宗教或灵性、特定语言、心理健康和心理疾病等议题。我们除了印制刊物，还提供网络服务，人们可以选择他们感兴趣的题目和主题，以及他们最方便的地点。
我的咖啡馆常在每个月中的星期三举行，因为这是Deep Cove的小咖啡馆最安静的时刻。咖啡馆为时两小时，中间有15分钟的休息。我开始时会宣布主题，以帮助那些还不太了解的人。所有我咖啡馆的讨论主题都是来自参与者的建议。我只是确保他们的建议能够以哲学方式表达，而不只是作为经验性的问题，如果只是经验性的问题我们只要在百科全书或科学书籍找答案就好。我会询问是否有人有任何关于主题的个人经验可以分享。这有两个目的：第一，可以让主题超越理论性的讨论，显示主题是如何与真实的生活情境相关；第二，一些个人经验的分享会显示每个人在诠释这个主题会有多么的不同。这样，辅导员也不会变成主题应该要如何讨论的支配者。在刚开始的几分钟，是不允许提问的；个人经验需要被尊重，而非辩论。我也发现个人经验的分享是个绝佳的方式，可以让小组成员彼此深入认识，并且认识到某些人必须忍耐和克服某些困难的生活情境。
没有人要再提供自己的个人经验后，主题就开放一般性的讨论。在我们咖啡馆里，讨论主题不可思议的多样，因为我们并不局限在任何特定的题目上。参与者会带来各式各样的问题，像是什么是成功？科学能否信任？什么时候我们应该感到罪恶感和羞耻感？什么是经济的目的？什么是人类进步的代价？什么时候合法却不道德？主题绝对可以无止尽的列举下去。并且任何的主题都可以重复许多次，因为每一次的讨论都可以从参与者引发不同的想法与意见。我担任哲学家咖啡馆的主持人∕辅导员有八年之久，我享受当中的每一分每一秒。我最终还是暂停了，因为我的教学责任日益沉重，而且老实说我需要休息了。但是因为我之前组织过两个咖啡馆专门探讨心理健康与疾病等相关议题，所以训练了一批资深的学生成为咖啡馆的主持人∕辅导员。
就像「哲学家咖啡馆」的名字一样，哲学家咖啡馆的讨论能够在知性上满足我们的心灵，就像一杯浓郁的咖啡每一口都能满足我们的味蕾。
中文翻译取自慈济大学人文临床与疗愈计划电子报
第14期2011年1月10日出刊
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Peter Raabe 教授是以哲学辅导（咨商）研究获得博士学位的第一个加拿大人，在国际上也是少数者。有关Peter Raabe 教授的资料可以参考他的网站。
http://www.ufv.ca/faculty/philosophy/raabep/index.html
我们希望城市的眼睛在将来能够参考这个模式举办座谈会。
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