The Analytic Salon 9

About this event

You know how people make fun of philosophers for puzzling over how many grains of sand a heap must have or how many hairs you need to lose to count as bald. Well, let's puzzle over that this time! The NINTH session of the Analytic Salon will be on the philosophy of language, a super central area of philosophy in the 20th century. We will talk about the Sorites paradox, one that has persisted to this day since antiquity. It's tougher to crack than it sounds. We will then also move on to a puzzle posed by Kripke's (we are the Kripke Center after all!) interpretation of Wittgenstein: Kripke was a terrific mathematician; yet he came to doubt whether any of us know what on earth we mean when we use addition. (Don't worry --- no more math will be used beyond second-grade.) Combined, the two puzzles raise questions about how much in control we are of meaning. Or, even, whether there really is such a thing as grasping the meaning of an expression. If you love language and languages, you will not want to miss this session. Here is a fun little bit on having a private language all to yourself (which we might touch on): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3GR1mWluk And here is a bit more on Sorites (from our formerly own philosopher, Graham Priest): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n4xcECjAXE \-\-\-\- As always: No prior philosophy knowledge required. We will define all terms. Just come, uhm, as yourself, and we hope this conversation will change you. We will have philosophers on site guiding us through the questions and through some influential theories. We were struck last time by the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the attendees. We fully expect another smart, vivid discussion. Daily life offers few chances for discussion on deep topics we actually all have thoughts about. This is a space dedicated to that. Come meet new people, make friends, and share your smartest thoughts in a low-stakes environment. This is not a class! We will have refreshments (wine, cheese and crackers, fruit). As always, this event is 100% free. BUT --- our Center needs donations. Such donations can make sure the analytic salons keep running. Any and all amounts help. If you're so inclined, support us here (suggested donation of $5) --- it takes 30 seconds: https://www.givegab.com/campaigns/saul-kripke-center NOTE ON RSVP-ing: RSVP is \*required\*. Our events fill up within hours and there is a significant waitlist. We can only accommodate about 30 people. If you are not reasonably confident you will attend, kindly put yourself on the waitlist/maybe-list and let someone else have the spot. RSVP via Partiful here: https://partiful.com/e/YSThF6tQx5f9kdg8cAz5?c=nCBZTqhl OR via meetup! \-\-\-\- FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW US YET: The Analytic Salon is a series of philosophy gatherings where we crack the code of analytic philosophy. What is it? What is it for? And what is it all about? This is your chance to come meet real philosophers. We don't require ANY knowledge of analytic philosophy: this is meant to be a fun mini-lecture event followed by vivid (and respectful) discussion for non-specialists with sharp and curious minds. Let's chat. We believe quite strongly in logic, truth, rationality as a key to conversation and to intellectual exploration. Come hang with us! We believe in spreading the word of analytic philosophy beyond the ivory tower. For more info on The Analytic Salon, check out our website: https://analytic-salon-nyc.github.io/ \-\-\- The Analytic Salon is made possible by the Saul Kripke Center. Check out the work we do here: www.gc.cuny.edu/saul-kripke-center (http://www.gc.cuny.edu/saul-kripke-center)