RALPH WALDO EMERSON or THE COURAGE TO THINK

ENJOY PHILOSOPHY MEETS WEEKLY EVERY SUNDAY BETWEEN 11.30 AND 14.30 AT EDUARDO VII PARK, HERE:** https://goo.gl/maps/5e3jKFEweXkNvDdK6

ITS THE GARDEN BETWEEN THE “CARLOS LOPES PAVILLION” AND THE “PRAIA NO PARQUE” RESTAURANT AT EDUARDO VII PARK.

THIS IS A GROUP FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN ENJOYING PHILOSOPHY.

NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED.

ONLY ETERNAL CURIOSITY AND THE PLEASURE OF KNOWLEDGE.

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We will learn, debate, enjoy and investigate philosophers and diverse themes from the philosophical perspective. Each reunion is structured as a conversation among all attendees about that day s philosopher softly moderated by the organizer. The conversation will kick-off from the very brief suggested reading providing easy access to all attendees both to the philosopher and the conversation.

“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.” —
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (1841)

Let´s be greek and dive today on…

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), one of the leading figures of American Transcendentalism, who challenged us to trust our own judgment rather than surrender our intellectual independence to social expectations or established authorities.

But thinking for ourselves may demand much more than intellectual independence. It may require the courage to entertain ideas that others consider unacceptable, and the willingness to experience something contemporary society increasingly seems determined to avoid: solitude.

Ralph´s core philosophical inquiry explores the possibility, the price and what fundamentally means to Think for Yourself.
We tend to regard our opinions, values, and beliefs as our own. Yet our language, education, culture... and increasingly the algorithms that organize our information profoundly shape how we understand the world.
Is independent thinking really possible ?
Can we genuinely think independently of the society that has taught us how to think?
Or is it possible to think independently ALSO inside our culturally inherited categories ?

The question directly leads to the dangers of intellectual autonomy. Independent thinking is relatively easy when our conclusions are socially acceptable. But when our reasoning leads towards ideas that contradict prevailing moral convictions or the beliefs of those around us... we face a serious dilema.

Emerson's non-conformism invites us to consider whether intellectual freedom requires the courage to think what we might never dare to say because it would confront us with very dear ideas, very dear people or even very serious laws.
As well as wether intellectual courage also require the willingness to discover that some our deepest convictions... might be wrong.

The exploration is of such a scope that touches some of the most fundamental questions of our identity given that, for Emerson, self-reliance is not merely an intellectual attitude but rather demands the courage to live according to one's own judgment.

Is authenticity fundamentally a matter of living in accordance with what we believe?
Should that kind of authenticity be a goal ?
For Emerson it clearly was.
Being authentic means, fundamentally, living according to your beliefs.

Finally, Emerson reflexion on solitude appears as fundamental nowadays. Solitude is not merely physical isolation but represents the possibility of stepping away from collective expectations and recovering an independent relationship with our own thoughts.

Throughout the history of philosophy solitude has been associated with contemplation and the required condition to develop your thoughts.

Solitude was the choice of those who chose to think.

Our contemporary society seems increasingly uncomfortable with being alone. Constant communication, a culture of entertainment and the demand for continuous social engagement leave increasingly little room for uninterrupted reflection.
For thinking.

Literally, NO TIME TO THINK.
Therefore, NO HABIT OF THINKING

What happens to the quality of human thought when solitude becomes something to escape rather than something to cultivate?

Its evident that writing the Theory of Relativity or Ulysses, or painting Van Gogh´s skies required an immense degree of solitude.

Can exceptional intellectual achievements emerge without silence, distance and sustained attention?

Can a society that systematically eliminates solitude also be undermining the very conditions that make excellent thinking possible?

If our thoughts are shaped by society, our willingness to question is constrained by social acceptance and our capacity for reflection is threatened by the disappearance of solitude, how much intellectual freedom do we really have?

Let´s think with Emerson whether thinking for ourselves is simply a matter of personal choice or one of the most demanding forms of human freedom.

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Our philosophy meetup has been, is and will always be Genuinely, Joyfully and Radically free, in every sense of those words.

That is the soul of our garden.

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