Forgiving-Ourselves & Others, Personal & Political: A Socratic Conversation, Thursday, 11/19, 4-5pm

Inspired by Socrates' famous conversations with his friends in the marketplace of 5th century Athens, we engage in spirited discussions of ideas and issues. Socratic conversations range broadly and probe deeply into the basic challenges of life. They are informed by the latest literature for reference and follow up. While building a sense of community on campus, these meetings enliven the intellectual atmosphere and model dialogue and discussion as modes of inquiry.

Forgiving-Ourselves and Others, Personal and Political: A Socratic Conversation, Thursday, 11/19, 4-5pm

Forgiveness has always been part of religious doctrine and practice, such as Yom Kippur in the Jewish tradition, Confession among Catholics, Metta in Buddhism, and Prayaschitta in Hinduism. Recently, scientific research has further illuminated the subject, revealing the connections between forgiveness and mental health, mapping a 20-step model of the process of forgiveness, and demonstrating that teaching people how to forgive is needed, and practicable.

Please come share your experiences and thoughts about:

• Why is forgiveness important in our lives?



• What have you learned about forgiving or being forgiven?



• When and how should we forgive?



• Are there limits or downsides to forgiving ("enabling")?



• What about forgiveness in the public and political realm, where the issues include victims' rights, punishment, restitution, and "restorative justice"?



• Where do our ideas about forgiveness come from (religion, science, philosophy, custom, or…?



• Where should they be heading?

How to Live Well: What People with Disabilities Can Help Us Learn: A Socratic Conversation, Thursday, 11/5, 4-5pm

Each of us has challenges we need to overcome in order to live our lives fully, richly, and successfully. People with disabilities, like Christoph Keller who kicked off Disabilities Awareness Week on 10/26, have often learned crucial truths about how to do this.

Now, let's learn from each other, and particularly from people with disabilities, how to fill our lives with hope, laughter, friendship, enjoyment, and accomplishment.

Please come to share, as Christoph Keller did so generously, your experiences and thoughts about how to

• appreciate every moment in order to live each day to its fullest


• savor the meanings and value of your life, including the rough patches and even the set-backs and tragedies
  use wit and imagination to make the best of difficult situations


• master the "dance of life" -- even if you feel yourself confined by circumstances, whether within yourself, or external


• endure and transcend the losses which all of us experience the course of our lives.

Why Socrates? He engaged in lively, important conversations, exemplifying the values of dialogue and discussion. Socrates is an iconic figure in Education - but he transcends the profession in Western intellectual history.
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These highly-participatory conversations with fellow students are moderated by Ronald Gross, author of Socrates' Way and Co-chair of the University Seminar on Innovation in Education.

They are part of a year long series of Socratic Conversations hosted by the Gottesman Libraries.

Individuals with disabilities are invited to request reasonable accommodations including, but not limited to sign language interpretation, Braille or large print materials, and a campus map of accessible features. Address these requests to the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities at (212) 678-3689, keller@tc.edu, or Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at (212) 678-3853 V/TTY, jaech@tc.edu.

Next session: Thursday, 12/17; Topic: TBA.

Where: Second Floor Salon