A Philosophical Stroll in Córdoba
Between fact and fiction, I choose a combo of both insofar as entertainment
I once posted a tweet that included an anecdote and a joke about Plato. One of the comments I received was that the anecdote had no ground because I got it from Diogenes Läertius’ book Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, which is not a scholarly reference. He had missed the point of the tweet.
This post will include a personal reflection, a philosophical stroll around Córdoba, and a short philosophical story that I obviously made up.
I. A Personal Realization (not) Too Late
I am not a philosophy teacher, but an entertainer. I am not a scholar, but someone who enjoys asking questions, and engaging people in an exploratory conversation to reflect on issues relevant to our lives.
What I do, I have come to realize, is a combination of historical fiction and an exposition of philosophical questions within context. In class, I obviously don’t make things up, and when I share a story, I make sure to indicate that it allegedly happened.
The other day someone mentioned in the course on Money, Morality, and Debt that they signed up not only because they are interested in philosophy, but because of the entertainment. This got me thinking about what I do, what I enjoy, and what I’m interested in.
The comment was really a wake-up call of some sort. While a lot of preparation goes into my courses, I’m not interested in conveying an academic and scholarly take on philosophy. There are an infinity of sources and references for those interested in a rigorous, academic, study of philosophy.
Instead, I want those who join to have fun, to get introduced to a few concepts, and to enjoy their time. In addition, participants end up getting the chance to interact with a community of people who join for the same reason: to find a space and an outlet where they can exchange ideas without being labeled, judged, or censored.
What does this entail? Not much. The realization itself is sufficient for me to know how to market my upcoming courses, what kind of content to post on twitter, and the kind of future ‘bets’ (a la Daniel Vassallo) I’m going to be pursuing. In other words, I’m just thinking out loud, and on record. That’s the upside of doing things in the marketplace, I guess?
It’s partly why I’m contemplating quitting philosophy to become a standup comedian.
II. A Philosophical Stroll Around Córdoba
With that in mind, join me in a philotour around Córdoba. In December I attended a conference at the University of Córdoba to discuss and celebrate the philosophical heritage of the city.
On the last day, they organized a walking tour around the city to visit the statues - and learn about the philosophies - of the important philosophers that were born or lived there. These philosophers are Maimonedes, Seneca, Averroes, Ibn Hazm.
1. Maimonedes
2. Seneca
3. Averroes (Ibn Rushd)
4. Ibn Hazm
III. As promised, A Short Story About Seneca
When Seneca got his stoic philosophy degree, he couldn't find a job for several years. So he opened a coffee shop. But he only served decaf, so he went bankrupt.
After Seneca's coffee shop went bankrupt, he moved from Cordoba to Salamanca to work as a bartender at Cafe Nero.
But then he broke the espresso machine, so the owner, Nero, asked him to commit digital suicide, so he deleted his twitter account, and went back to using myspace.
Between fact and fiction? I choose both, insofar as entertainment. I’d rather keep the world-changing aspirations for others. May they happily fight and block each other on twitter.
You can find me on Twitter @decafquest.