Why I started Socrates Cafe — and why I’ll never finish
It’s going on 20 years since I first began Socrates Cafe. 20 years. And the first group I started, in Montclair, NJ, still meets weekly after all these years. My grandiose plan had been to have just one Socrates Cafe. But it resonated with people far and wide, not just in the U.S., but abroad, […]
on democratic evolution and revolution and socratizing
I was thinking today about how many people across the political spectrum tell me in my sojourns that think our open society is closing up more and more, to the point that they not only consider it in deep decline, but only a matter of time before some sort of cataclysmic upheaval occurs. They point […]
On tragedies — and the opportunity youth present us to avoid repeating them
This is not a Socrates Cafe-ish post, no timely-timeless exploration of matters philosophical per se, but more of the Democracy Cafe / Declaration Project variety — one that takes on more of the role of the Socratic citizen who challenges complacency against the darker forces that threaten today to undo the democratic mechanisms within our nation’s […]
20th Anniversary Socrates Cafe Symposium, Matching Funds Challenge, and More
Dear Friends and Supporters, We have a number of exciting tidings to report on the inroads we are making in advancing our mission of making ours a more inclusive, thoughtful and participatory world. As you know, we believe that civil conversation isn’t enough. Nor is it sufficient to construct ‘the right questions.’ Rather, a method […]