Philosophy-in-LA Discussion group to meet Sunday

Hello Philosophy Fans!

I want to remind you that the September '09 Philosophy-in-LA Discussion group (http://philosophy-in-LA.tribe.net) is happening this Sunday, September 20, 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM (the usual 3rd Sunday of the month). New participants from all backgrounds, points of view and religious belief (or non-belief) are most welcome.

I also want to apologize for mistakenly scheduling the meeting on a big holiday (Rosh Hashanah)! I didn't realize I'd done so when I reserved our meeting room two or three months ago.

We'll be at our usual venue, the Community Room of the Yahoo Center, 2500 Broadway, between Cloverfield & 26th, Santa Monica, 90404. Driving/ parking/ finding-the-room directions are at the end of this email. Please show up on time so you don't miss the start of the discussion or interrupt the flow of conversation.

If you belong to our Meetup site or Mypeopleconnection.com, please update your RSVP on those websites! FYI, mark your calendar with the dates of the following two gatherings: October 18, at 5 PM and November 15 at 5 PM (both are on the 3rd Sunday of the month).

After the meeting, feel free to join us for dinner and more conversation. Location and details TBA at our gathering Sunday.


This Sunday's topic of discussion, the vote-winner by a wide margin, is:

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: What is it? How has it affected our thinking about politics, for better or worse? Does the term deserve the pejorative status it has? While "Politically Correct" is a fairly new term, it is, arguably, a new label for a very old thing. Think of the various kinds of things that have struck you as being "politically correct." What do they have in common? Are you/ we consistent in our use of the term? Do we simply call "PC" those restrictions on action or speech we disagree with, and withhold the term from those restrictions we agree with? Politically correctness is usually seen as arising from a politically left point of view. But is this accurate? One take on "PC" is that it leads to censorship and the stifling of free debate. Another take is that the label "PC" is little more than a demeaning term for values we should publicly espouse anyway, like appropriateness, politeness, fairness, and respectfulness. We can decide which of these positions (or neither, or both) we think is right.
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OPTIONAL READINGS-- I have a few very short readings and a podcast for you to enjoy this month. Many articles and web pages mention Political Correctness, but it was more difficult to find ones that dealt with the issue directly and had something interesting to say about it. Bone up on what philosophers and pundits have been saying about this controversy!

1. I put three dictionary definitions and a short encyclopedia entry on our club's website. These won't by any means settle the question of what political correctness is, of course, but it's a place to start. I also put a short excerpt from a criticism of political correctness from a politically right/ Libertarian view. Combined, all of this is about a page long, and I posted it to the top of our home page, http://philosophy-in-LA.tribe.net (look for the discussion thread, Political Correctness: what exactly is it?). Or use the direct link to the page, http://philosophy-in-la.tribe.net/thread/2ad830ee-9dd1-4581-8262-0fad92928c4b

2. The Philosophy Talk radio show and blog on "Political Correctness": this is a 45-minute audio podcast (downloadable) and 2-page blog entry by one of the Stanford philosophy professors who hosts the radio show. The audio program is a very interesting (I thought) discussion of the issue between three philosophers, each coming from different, though moderate, political points of view. It's hosted by professors but isn't loaded with jargon and doesn't require an academic background in philosophy to follow. Listen online or download to your mp3 player, http://www.philosophytalk.org/pastShows/PoliticalCorrectness.htm and/or read the blog entry, titled "Political Correctness and the Speech Fashion War," located halfway down the webpage, http://theblog.philosophytalk.org/2007/12/index.html

3. The "Political Correctness" entry in the Routeledge Encyclopedia is a 3-4 page article that attempts a balanced, academic summary and analysis of the issue. It struck me as having a mildly politically left bent. http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/ethics/entries/politicalcorrectness.pdf
(When I clicked on this link, my web browser gave me a lame warning about making sure this file is "from a trustworthy source." Not to worry -- the page is completely safe.)

4. Wikipedia, of course, has a "Political Correctness" entry, which gives the kind of uneven, idiosyncratic overview of the issue that we've come to expect from Wikipedia. It talks about its history of the term as well as the concepts and controversies involved, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Correctness
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OUR WEBPAGE & DISCUSSION BOARD-- I've posted all the above info on our club's website, as usual, and I urge you to post your ideas and reflections on the issue to the site, and read what others say (either before or after Sunday's meeting). Look for the discussion thread, "Political Correctness: what exactly is it?" at or near the top of our home page, http://philosophy-in-LA.tribe.net


Most importantly, whether or not you post your ideas online, jot down your thoughts and bring them to our discussion Sunday. Please bring a printout of this email (of the topic, at least) with you to the meeting.

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FYI, here are the full vote-by-email results for the month:
1) Altruism: Is There Really Such A Thing? Should There Be? (20.0 Votes)
2) Is The Idea Of "An Individual Organism" An Arbitrary Biological Notion? (8.5 Votes) men prefer this topic
3) Is Anything Certain Or Is All Knowledge Fallible And Revisable? (19.75 Votes)
4) Do We Know Whether Something Is Good Art Rather Than Bad Art? (10.5 Votes)
5) Political Correctness: What Is It? (33.5 Votes)

Each topic stays on the list until it wins or consistently receives a paltry number of votes. You may have noticed that the votes do not come in whole numbers. This is not because fractions of a person turn in votes, but because you receive one vote for your top choice, a half vote for your 2nd choice (if you had one), a quarter vote for your 3rd choice, and so on. Recent, regular participants at our gatherings have their vote doubled.


See you there!

Brian


Ps. DIRECTIONS to the Community Room of the Yahoo Center (formerly the Colorado Center), 2500 Broadway, at 25th St, between Cloverfield & 26th, Santa Monica, 90404-3065, 310-453-0333. From the 405, take the I-10 West, towards Santa Monica - go 2.2 mi. Take the CLOVERFIELD BLVD exit and turn Right on CLOVERFIELD BLVD. Go a half mile; turn Right on BROADWAY, go a quarter mile, park near 25th St. Parking is free on Sundays on Broadway & nearby streets, but much of 25th St is off limits; they will ticket you!

The Community Room is directly on Broadway at 25th St, at the corner of the building, a few feet from the "HBO Symantec" sign. It is directly across the street from the LA Art Institute and a bicycle shop. The room is not labeled, but you will notice its glass doors and plenty of windows with blinds on them. If you have trouble finding parking on the street, ample free parking is available in the parking garage beneath the building. The garage entrance is on the other side of the Colorado Center, so take Broadway to 26th St, turn right, take your first right (Colorado Ave); the garage entrance is at 2401 Colorado, on your right, just before Cloverfield. When you enter the garage, go straight as far as you can, turn right, go as far as you can and park near the 2500 building, where the "HBO" sign is. Walk up the stairs or take the elevator to "G" (the ground level), exit the building, take the short pathway until you can take a left (tennis courts will be in front of you), stop when you reach Broadway. The Community Room is a few feet to your left.