Plato's Cave - The Orlando Philosophy Meetup Group

Warm Greetings to Plato's Cave Members,

You are invited to join us virtually from wherever you are this Sunday morning, Sept. 21, 2025 at 9:00, for our Plato's Cave forum.

CONNECTING TO SUNDAY’S PLATO'S CAVE FORUM
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TITLE: Philosophy of Mind

DESCRIPTION
Philosophy of mind explores the nature of consciousness, our personal thoughts, and our mental states. In addition, how does the mind relate to the body, and how are we affected by life experience? One of the pillars of this topic is understanding what causes us to act: how our desires, beliefs, intentions, and emotions translate into physical behavior. We will review both ancient and modern ideas in this series of 7 dialogues.

Part 7: Shaping Intelligence

DESCRIPTION

How can we use—and improve—our intelligence? This is one of the defining questions of our time. The modern age challenges us in ways that past philosophers could scarcely have imagined. We face rapid technological change, constant information overload, and now the rise of AI, which can act as both a tool and a partner. This week, we’ll explore three key facets of this challenge: (1) using intelligence in service of our moral duties, (2) cultivating better reasoning skills, and (3) applying intelligence toward human flourishing.

First, we turn to Immanuel Kant’s ethics as a deontological framework. Kant emphasized moral duty and the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions—regardless of their outcomes. For Kant, the moral worth of an action lies in the motivation behind it: a genuine sense of duty guided by reason. Considered in this way, morality is not separate from intelligence but a way of shaping it, aligning our intellectual capacities with a rational, principled life.

Next, we will focus on training our minds to think with clarity. A crucial step is to recognize and avoid fallacies in reasoning. Scott Sprouse, in The Reasoning Skills Workbook (Section 8), categorizes fallacies into several types: imprecise use of terms, invalid arguments, and flaws in the underlying structure—or “fabric”—of the argument itself. By learning to identify these pitfalls, we sharpen our reasoning and avoid common thought traps. Clarity of thought, in this sense, becomes a discipline that strengthens intelligence.

Finally, we will consider the idea of human flourishing—using intelligence to pursue meaning, engagement, and resilience. Martin Seligman, a leading figure in the field of Positive Psychology, identifies five elements of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement. The latter, Seligman notes, is “...pursued even when they bring no positive emotion, no meaning, and nothing in the way of positive relationships.” The challenge today is knowing when to rely on AI and when to resist outsourcing our choices, so that we remain active participants in our own growth and fulfillment.

READING MATERIALS