Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Hanna Thrasher Socrates Cafe, an inclusive philosophical group that meets at Cafe Pomegranate to discuss a myriad of topics.

Media Credit: Hanna Thrasher Dan Williamson, a lecturer from the department of philosophy listens to a group participant at a meeting of Socrates Cafe.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." A group of professors and students gather together in Cafe Pomegranate every other Tuesday afternoon to do just that: to examine and analyze life. They call the group "Socrates Café."

Janet Stemwedel, assistant professor of philosophy at SJSU, brings forth an open-ended question for every meeting, which is then debated extensively among the group, and which is related to everyday life.

"Recreational thinking is one of the things that makes our lives better," Stemwedel said.

Philip Tokarek, a freshman majoring in political science, said he attended the discussion because he, "was curious, and hey, this is (a different) type of conversation."

Erin Norris, a senior majoring in business marketing, said, "I went to all but one meeting last semester. I was in one of Dr. Williamson's courses, and he offered this for extra credit … then I actually ended up continuing it."

Stemwedel said she chooses to lead the Socrates Café because "philosophy isn't just for the classroom."

"… Part of what we need as humans is to wrestle with questions that interest us, not that anyone's grading us on them or that anything is riding on it, but because we're curious, and we want to understand it better," she said.

The question posed for this particular Tuesday was, "What is community?" and provoked a lengthy analysis of the term "community," from the group, not only in relation to San Jose State University, but also to society as a whole. The conversation took many different courses during the hour-long discussion, such as a community's function, the need for trust and the conflict of individual interest.

During the discussion, Dan Williamson, a lecturer in the philosophy department, questioned the amount of concern individuals have for the welfare of those around them, as he pointed out that this is often tested during natural disasters.

Stemwedel and Williamson brought a broad range of external forces to the table, such as the effect of culture and politics, which are then examined in relation to community.

SJSU was also put under examination, as Stemwedel was the first to probe it.

"The first week or so there's a lot of speechifying about campus community," she said.

Tokarek said he does not feel a sense of community among students in a classroom, but finds a more friendly and sociable atmosphere in the dorms.

By the end of the hour, the question of community remained under debate. Stemwedel laughed, saying, "We never do answer the question completely!"

Despite the low turnout of two students and two professors, Stemwedel felt confident that Socrates Café will have a larger gathering next time.

"Everyone should come, not just philosophy students," she said.

The group meets on the first, third and fifth Tuesday of every month at Café Pomegranate on East San Fernando Street, from 3 to 4 p.m. The next meeting will be on Sept. 18, and the question will be, "Is extra credit fair?"

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