The Socrates Café — Philosophers Quotes Edition - Oba 7th floor.

This is a new edition of the Socrates cafe with a new format.

In this edition, the moderator will pick a specific quote, topic or question from a known philosophers (example; Voltaire, Kant, Marcus Aurelius, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rousseau, Machiavelli, Descartes, Plato and others).

A summary around a page will be provided in the event (See below - The topic of this Session)

Please take the time to read.

The Moderator will read the summary and give an introduction of the topic. Then, we will have an open discussion, and a final round when everyone will give their conclusions.

The topic of this Session
Immanuel Kant - “Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.”

### Summary

This quote (often paraphrased from Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason) captures one of the core insights of modern philosophy: knowledge only works when experience and theory cooperate. Neither is sufficient on its own.

### “Experience without theory is blind”

• Experience alone—just doing, seeing, or feeling things—lacks direction or deeper understanding.
• Without a theoretical framework (ideas, models, explanations), you can’t make sense of what you experience, generalize from it, or apply it meaningfully.
• Example: A chef who cooks the same dish for years without understanding why certain ingredients work together may never improve or innovate.

### “Theory without experience is mere intellectual play”

• Theory alone—ideas, hypotheses, or abstract knowledge—is empty if not tested or applied in the real world.
• Without experience, theory remains speculative, disconnected from reality, and often useless.
• Example: A scientist who only reads about chemical reactions but never conducts experiments may never discover new knowledge or solve real problems.

### The Core Message

The quote emphasizes that true knowledge and progress come from the interaction of theory and experience:

• Theory gives meaning to experience—it helps you interpret, predict, and improve.
• Experience grounds theory—it tests, refines, and validates ideas.

This balance is central to fields like science, education, and even personal growth. Kant’s philosophy, especially his work on epistemology (the study of knowledge), often explores how our minds structure experience through concepts and categories, but also how experience is necessary to give those concepts content.

About the Philosopher
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Immanuel-Kant

RULES

1. Please be on time! We will start at 19:00 so if you arrive late, please join quietly. If you are a first timer, make sure you take extra time for finding the location.
2. If something unexpected happens, please cancel as soon as possible. There's lovely people on the waiting list
3. If you repeatedly sign up and don’t show up, you can expect to be moved to the waitlist next time.
4. You may disagree with others, but please do so respectfully without personal attacks.
5. Please keep your attendance to one event per week to ensure everyone has an opportunity to attend.
6. Just to meet expectations, this is a Philosophy event to discuss Philosophy and this event's PRIMARY function is NOT focused on Self Help/Psychology or Theology. Though those topics can be a point of discussion from time to time. Please take that into consideration when signing up!

See you soon!