Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Logic, History of Philosophy, Religion, Social and Political Philosophy, Core Topics in Philosophy

1. Core
Topics in
Philosoph
y

2. Why all night?
 Because at night we see things from a
different perspective. Daytime is busy.
You have things to do. You have to
look after the ends of your actions. At
night, you sleep, it’s a break, it’s a
parenthesis. It’s a moment when you
have time and are liberated from
busyness. The link between
philosophy and night is historical, too.

3.  The owl of Minerva spreads its wings
only with the falling of the dusk

4.  What do you think about the fact
that you have inspired philosophy
events around the world, such as
the recent Night of Philosophy and
Ideas in Brooklyn?

5.  The Night of Philosophy and Ideas in
Brooklyn was organized on the model
of my event but I did not organize it. I
gave the new Brooklyn Public
Library’s VP of Arts and Culture advice
as he wanted to use my concept.

6.  But it was very different to my
event. That’s why it was called A
Night of Philosophy and Ideas. Ideas
are not necessarily philosophical and
they open up to thoughts and methods
that are not my focus. My focus is
philosophy and art.

7.  It depends on the goal of the event,
but we are at a time when people
need to feel more empowered and
need to experience something
different than the normal system of
thinking.

8.  I view these events as a way to
empower people: to put them at the
center of a world and to give them
choices. It’s not only about giving
people intellectual food, but rather
giving people the possibility to listen to
a lecture, to drink, or to see a
performance, and not to impose
anything on them. It’s a staging, not a
festival or program. It is delicate. It’s
exactly the contrary of programming.

9. Unprogramming?
 It’s unprogramming through a very
tight program, but it has to be full and
shouldn’t be one thing imposed on
everyone. It should be like presenting
a world to the participant, who will
need to ask themselves: do I go left or
right?

10.  It’s not about people or names,
either. It’s about simultaneity, that is,
creating multiple ways of looking at
things.

11.  It’s important not to embrace only one
point of view, but to create a dialectic
which blurs what should be
thought. Maybe there is not one right
thought. At the core of these events is
diversity of thinking and different ways
of looking at things.

12.  The Nights of Philosophy are very
successful. Thousands of people
participate. Why do you think they
are so popular?

13.  Yes, each time it is very popular. I
have done seven Nights of Philosophy
so far, and I’m going to be doing more
in Helsinki, Paris, Berlin and, probably,
central Europe next year. And very
soon I will go to the next one in Lima
on April 21, 2017. I would like to come
back to do one in a museum in the
U.S. There is a real thirst for these
events.

14.  They’re popular because they’re very
different. They’re a
novelty. Philosophy has always been
privileged and attractive. These events
give people a chance to judge that by
themselves.

15.  I think people also like the multiplicity,
the opening up, the all-night long
experience, and the fact that they
don’t know what’s going to
happen. Uncertainty is very
interesting. Life is like that. You really
don’t know what’s going to happen
tomorrow.

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