Philosophical Forum 1

This is the first of our two PHIL 1010 “Forums.” Both of them have the same purpose: they give you a chance to apply the theoretical ideas that you have learned about philosophy to your own lives; none is difficult; all should take about 90 minutes; most require some field work. I want us to get out of the classroom and into the everyday world, a little like Socrates walking around Athens talking to people about the soul, virtue, meaning of life, the gods, and politics.

So far, we have read several of the most important works of philosophy (The “Apology,” The “Symposium,” and Plato’s “Cave.” These works, written around 399 BCE, define philosophy as the “search for wisdom” and show us a philosophical star, Socrates, in action. The three works fit together: The “Cave” shows us the four basic stages of philosophy; the “Apology” shows us Socrates defending himself against the Athenian established society; the “Symposium” (extract) shows us a little more about the personality and achievements of Socrates.

We have also watched four very high-quality videos about the background of Ancient Greece and philosophy. We are not having a test on these videos, but please watch them carefully.

For our forum, I want you to go into your community and find a wise person—someone you feel has exemplary wisdom. While I want you to keep the class material in mind, I want you to define wisdom for yourself. It can be something pretty basic: my postman might express wisdom because he is patient and helpful to the community; my pastor might express wisdom because of his moral guidance and leadership; my girlfriend might have wisdom because she knows how to steer our relationship through stormy times; Kawhi Leonard might have wisdom because of his poise and dignity; President Trump might have wisdom because he wants to make the United States great again. It’s up to you to choose your framework and values.

Here is the form I suggest.

1. Cover sheet. All submissions in PH 1010 should have a cover sheet. The coversheet should state the assignment, student info, a title expressing your main idea, an image expressing your main idea. (Message: your paper should have a unifying main idea).

2. Paragraph 1: Identify who you think is wise and why. Your thesis or main idea should go here.

3. Paragraph 2. Identification. Who? Where? Your contact with the person?

4. Paragraph 3 or paragraphs 3-5. Three reasons why this person is wise

5. In #4, you should have at least two specific, concrete examples: “Last week on June 6, President Trump showed wisdom when he spoke of the heroes of D-Day…”

6. Brief conclusion. “In summary….”

Optional and extra-credit: A few photos for context.