Why is there no church of philosophy? I’m not actually interested in the philosophical differences between philosophy and religion, in terms of practicality, what is stopping anyone from creating a church of philosophy?
I don’t know how to make a church. I assume it’s just a shed with some chatty introspective dudes and a bunch of nontaxable alcohol. That sounds like a fun activity if only I knew how to create a center for this activity. How?
Why do you want to ruin philosophy?
In its conception at least, the Catholic Church is a church of philosophy: Plato’s ideal state.
Some “free thinking” groups in the States are kinda like a church of philosophy, but there is atheism or agnostic mixed in with it.
I laughed.
In answer to the OP’s question- mostly because no two philosophers would be able to agree on a creed.
Exactly. They wouldn’t be able to even decide who would be the clergy and who would be the laity … As none of them would ever want to be called the laity.
They’d have to come up with something really lame like “We worship…rationality” and then not only could they not agree on what ‘rationality’ meant, but all the feminist philosophers would feel ostracized.
Ruin it? I want to bring it back to it’s prime, when people actually discussed philosophy in person instead of miles away. I want symposiums to exist again. I want philosophers to serve as community leaders. Churches get to do this every Sunday. People interested in philosophy only get to do this maybe twice in their life on some weird nights at a bar. You think it would be ruined because I compared philosophy to religion? That’s terribly biased.
How is that an obstacle to creating a venue for discussion?
And that’s why the 11 o’clock hour on Sunday is the most divisive time of the week. Why do that to philosophy? Why bring it down to the church level? Let it be free.
I think it used to be called “University”…
Oh, so by ‘church’ you meant a building? Er, yeah sure, knock yourself out.
I know. Imagine getting to hang out with smart people and not have to pay for it? Some really divisive shit I’m preaching here.
Yeah. I want one of those. How do I get one of those and convince people that it’s as thrilling as sitting in a dark room alone, typing to strangers on the internet?
Buildings cost money, so , no “hanging out with smart people for free.”
And if it’s as thrilling as sitting in a dark room typing to strangers we’re there already.
So be happy … you’ve already got yer church of philosophy …
In the Catholic Church, smart people get to hang out with each other by convincing the many that, unlike these, they are not laymen but priests, and that whereas priests have direct access to God (in Plato: to the Ideas or Forms), laymen only have indirect access, namely via priests; and then letting the many pay money for access to God.
The first university was Plato’s Academy.
Plato’s Academy, Aristotle’s Lyceum, Cynicism, Stoicism…?
If you’re serious, go for it, philosophy needs more unity.Did you have a particular philosophy in mind, or were you thinking of a place where philosophers and laypeople could come to debate/discuss philosophy and carouse?
I would be mostly interested in the philosophers and laypeople discussing/carousing. I think the most likely answer is that there is no insurance that would cover drunk debates.
Are people so cynical that they will only listen to someone if they claim to be a messenger from God? I would listen to a professor of philosophy debate, if he had anyone to debate. It’s less fun watching teachers crush their students than it is watching them crush strangers.
Ahh now we’re getting to what I initially asked. I’m unfamiliar with the expenses of running a church. I assume beyond the initial cost of the building, it is just utilities, but that is what I want to know. Does it cost money to keep a church running?
But what if it was more thrilling than sitting in a dark room typing to strangers? Would you leave said dark room to attend a verbal fight club?
None of those are churches, and none of them are to ‘philosophy’ but to A philosophy. If you want to have a Church devoted to a particular philosophy then just…pick a church, cause that’s what they already are.
So you’re saying Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are essentially indistinguishable from Stoicism, Epicureanism and Skepticism? Well, maybe Buddhism is indistinguishable from the Greek Philosophical Schools, but only because it was more of a philosophy in its original, rational incarnation.
Yes. Prolly would. It would be better than going to church around here, in the Bible belt.