The Toronto Philosophy Meetup

Phaedo is a fictional account of the conversation that took place between Socrates and his adherents just as Socrates was waiting to drink the hemlock. It marks a transition from the earlier ethical dialogues the more comprehensive works that involve proper epistemological and ontological inquiry. It is also the first dialogue to give a proper account of the theory of forms and contains a very short intellectual autobiography of Socrates. Phaedo remains important in our modern age both as a treasure trove of intellectual possibilities and because it provides a firm and coherent foundation for the philosophical life which, in Socrates' case culminates in death.

Therefore, Phaedo is both an ideal introduction to the platonic theory of forms and a summary of some of the arguments that would be used to defend the immortality of the soul for more than 2300 years.

Phaedo, along with the Euthyphro, the Apology, and Crito comprise the quartet of Plato’s works and are sometimes collectively called "The Trial and Death of Socrates". It is part of the first tetralogy of Platonic works and belongs to Plato’s middle creative period.

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This is a live reading of Phaedo. No previous knowledge of the Platonic corpus is required but a general understanding of the question of philosophy in general and of ancient philosophy in particular is to some extent desirable but not presupposed. This Plato group meets on Saturdays and has previously read the Apology, Philebus, Gorgias, Critias, Laches, Timaeus, Euthyphro, Crito and other works, including ancient commentaries and texts for contextualisation such as Gorgias’ Praise of Helen. The reading is intended for well-informed generalists even though specialists are obviously welcome. It is our aspiration to read the Platonic corpus over a long period of time.

The host is Constantine Lerounis, a distinguished Greek philologist and poet, author of Four Access Points to Shakespeare’s Works (in Greek) and Former Advisor to the President of the Hellenic Republic. May 3 is the introductory session for Phaedo and hence an ideal opportunity to join the group without having to do any catching up.

Over the next few weeks we'll be exploring Georges Bataille's relationship and eventual break with Surrealism. We'll start by reading André Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924) -- pages ix to 29 in the University of Michigan edition. We'll use key surrealist artworks to illustrate our discussion.

See these articles for lists of artworks - make sure to bring your favorites to the meeting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/surrealism/
https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/surrealism
https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/surrealism-art-masterpieces-1234713463/

You can find all texts in the Google folder linked at the BOTTOM of this description (also the Zoom link) -- scroll all the way down 👇

Some reflection questions:
What are Surrealism's basic premises?
How does Surrealism compare with Bataille's thinking from the 1920s and 30s, and why was he initially attracted to the movement?
What precipitated Bataille's eventual break with André Breton?

For notes and commentary on the texts see my Bataille blog at this link:
https://sites.google.com/view/existentialism-and-its-critics/

Upcoming topics:
Jul 19: Bataille, Blue of Noon
Jul 26: André Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism (1924)
Aug 2: Bataille and Surrealism (cont'd)
Aug 9: Bataille and Surrealism (cont'd)

Please take the time to read and reflect on the reading prior to the meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend, but speaking priority will be given to people who have read the text.

Future topics to be discussed:

• Deleuze with/against Bataille
• Eroticism and the 'logic' of transgression
• Foucault's "A Preface to Transgression"
• Bataille's reading of Hegel, the negative and general economy
• Derrida's "From Restricted to General Economy"

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ABOUT THIS GROUP
Bataille stands out as an eclectic, fascinating and controversial figure in the world of French letters. A contemporary of Sartre and Lacan, he combined ideas from diverse disciplines to create a unique position that he labeled 'base materialism' and which could equally be called 'ecstatic materialism'. Keeping outside the academic mainstream (he worked as a librarian), Bataille writes at the intersection of multiple disciplines including philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociology, mythology, and mystical theology. His works develop a libidinal economy, offer a critique of fascism and embrace marginal experiences in the style of the French poets. He is a formative precursor to the post-structuralist philosophers of the '60s -- and may well be more relevant in our time than ever.

We'll start with Bataille's early writings on Nietzsche and make our way through his important concepts over a number of weeks. We'll aim to understand Bataille's thought on its own terms as well as to place him in the context of the German thinkers that preceded him and the French philosophers who followed his lead. In view of Bataille's early relationship with Surrealism, the referenced artworks will spotlight this movement.

Note: Bataille's texts, while philosophically important, discuss difficult themes such as mortality, the unconscious, eroticism, primeval social practices, etc. Keep this in mind as you approach him, especially if this is your first experience with French philosophy.

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GROUP RULES

• Please spend 1-2 hours per week reading and preparing for the discussion.
• Keep your comments concise and relevant to the text.
• Please limit each comment to a maximum of 2-3 minutes. You're welcome to speak as many times as you wish.
• Virtual meeting courtesy: let's not interrupt each other and keep mics muted when not speaking.
• We'll focus the discussion with key passages and discussion questions. Be sure to bring your favorite passages, questions, comments, criticisms, etc.

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