Saturday, April 23, 2011

Cafe Philo in New York City in two weeks, Thursday, 5/5: What is the difference between preference and prejudice?

Cafe Philo in New York City will meet in two weeks, on Thursday, May 5, 2011 for a discussion on the topic of "What is the difference between preference and prejudice?" Ken Feldman, founder of the Café Philo in Washington, DC suggested the topic. It was indeed an honor for Ken to have attended our meeting this past Thursday.

The suggested topics for the upcoming meeting and their votes (out of 9 attendees):


  1. Visual/intuitive thought vs. rational thought. (3)

  2. Must man be a social animal? (3)

  3. How do we account for the cause of events? (3)

  4. Does determinism entail predestination? (2)

  5. Can we measure emotional intelligence? (5, 3)

  6. What is fashion and does it have any value? (3)

  7. Are value judgments inherent in every discussion? (3)

  8. Can we have pornography in a democratic society? (1)

  9. What is the difference between preference and prejudice? (5, 4) *

  10. Is dueling efficacious in a democratic society? (2)

I have been acting as guest moderator lately. Bernard Roy has been attending as a participant.


Catch up with preparatory online discussions in the Yahoo! group for Cafe Philo NYC.

As usual, the meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the back room at Bamiyan Afghan Restaurant at the northwest corner of Third Avenue and 26th Street in New York City. In exchange for free meeting space, it is expected that each attendee will purchase a minimum of $5 of food or drink. A glass of red wine can be had for $6 (plus tax and tip.)


After winding down our discussion, we entertain and vote on proposals for the topic question for the next meeting.


There are also usually some attendees who go across the street to McCormack's Pub for drinks and food and extended discussion after Cafe Philo, but not limited to the scheduled discussion topic.


There are a number of small groups in the U.S. and Europe who meet regularly to discuss topics related to philosophy. Some of these groups go by the name "Cafe Philo." There is one here in New York City that meets every two weeks, every other Thursday. It is organized and moderated by Bernard Roy, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Each meeting focuses on a specific topic which was suggested and voted on by the participants at the last meeting.


Also, there is an online discussion forum for the NYC Cafe Philo at:



There is also a new web site for NYC Cafe Philo at http://www.nycafephilo.org/.


I have been attending the NYC Cafe Philo off and on since 2004. Previously I had attended the Cafe Philo in Washington, D.C. starting in 2001.


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