Hong Kong Philosophy Cafe

Topic: "Is idealism or realism more likely to change the course of human history?"*

Introduced by: Steve Palmquist

Moderated by: Guy Lown

Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2019

Time: 7:30pm to 9:45pm

(Important note: The introduction to the discussion will start as soon as possible after 7:30pm; the Fringe Club now closes its doors at 10pm sharp.)

Location: "Colette's Room B", Fringe Club, 2/F, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central.

The philosophy is free - you pay only for the food and drinks you order. Purchasing food and drinks is optional, but please, do not consume food or drinks purchased elsewhere during the meeting! On this note, the management of the Fringe Club has asked us to remind all who attend of the following: "The Fringe Club is a non-profit organisation and a charity which promotes arts and culture.  Its operation is self supporting through income from F&B, venue hiring, membership, programmes and sponsorship. Philo Cafe is privileged to enjoy the free use of the meeting room. Please return the goodwill and support by buying drinks." In fact, from February 2018 onwards, the Fringe Club management will require us to purchase an average of $600 worth of food and drinks per meeting..

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*Steve writes:

"Of the several topics proposed during the informal party held as the September 2019 meeting of the Fringe Branch, a topic very similar to this one seemed to spark the most interest among those who attended. Unfortunately, I didn't take note of who proposed the topic; but instead of just ignoring it, I have decided to introduce it myself. I will proceed by making a background distinction between ideas, ideals, and ideology. I will then argue that both realism and idealism (as general philosophical approaches) can be approached in each of these three interpretive ways, and that the nature and extent of their influence on human history depends on how the theorist places them within this spectrum of interpretive options. If time (and my own insight!) permits, I will relate this whole theme to the current political situation in Hong Kong; while I do not expect to propose a solution to the unrest, I do hope to explain why the unrest is persisting for so long and what makes it such a difficult problem to solve."

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The Fringe Branch of the Hong Kong Philosophy Cafe was established in October of 2000 with the goal of holding regularly scheduled discussions (in English) on serious, mainstream philosophical topics. Meetings begin with a designated participant introducing a particular approach to dealing with the announced topic. After others have a chance to ask questions and/or give feedback to the introducer, a substantial block of time is devoted to small group discussions, with participants being encouraged to migrate between groups at will. Ideas raised during small group discussions are then shared in a concluding plenary session.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to suggest a topic and/or to introduce a future meeting. For up-to-date information on this and other HKPC branches, or to discuss this meeting's topic online, after it occurs, visit the HKPC's Facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/a2evI9

Organizer: Steve Palmquist (stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk or 34117289)
Adviser: Paul Stables (paulstables@tutorialfield.com.hk)