What we’re about
The Symposium is a community dedicated to exploring life's questions with use of various guiding texts. Since Plato, philosophy was considered a devotional activity, emerged from the mythic age, among lovers and inspired poets, casting light into their world with the aid of reason. Let us familiarize ourselves with the wisdom tradition, uncover new shapes of thought, and find the great freedom that comes from seeing the lifeworld of our connected selves.
By sharing together we create an open space for fresh insights, whether through ourselves or from others. It is through the light of our questions that we stay connected to the true, even as the depth of our ignorance is continually revealed. Yet as we cleanse the mirror, we find unique harmony between what is thought and spoken, for wisdom to usher in, and for the spirit of philosophical friendship to take hold.
Let us honor that space together.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”Kapéj Coffee, Chicago, IL
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately … and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Often considered Thoreau's greatest work, Walden is a key piece of New England Transcendentalism, a 19th-century movement of writers and philosophers who believed in the unity of all creation, the goodness of humanity, and the importance of insight over logic. The book details Thoreau's experiment in simple living at Walden Pond in Massachusetts from 1845 to 1847. It's both a philosophical treatise on labor, leisure, self-reliance, and individualism, and an influential work of nature writing.
The second chapter, “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” combines practical advice on where he lived with deep philosophical questions about the meaning of life. A practical do-it-yourselfer and an intellectual philosopher, Thoreau moves from matters of everyday existence to questions of ultimate meaning and purpose.
You can download a copy of Walden from the Internet Archive – or, to read online without downloading, go to page 75 of the Internet Archive’s theatre view. The second chapter of the Project Gutenberg eBook version (with texts highlighted by GoodReads readers) begins on page 47 (the Table of Contents chapter link doesn’t get there). “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” is about 6,200 words, give or take, and takes maybe 30 minutes to read.
If you prefer listening over reading, feel free to listen to a YouTube audio file of “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.” It runs about 41 minutes. SparkNotes and Cliff Notes also offer summaries and analyses of the chapter.
Other items you may enjoy are this March 2020 article by Robert Thorson entitled “What ‘Walden’ can tell us about social distancing and focusing on life’s essentials” and a thoughtful YouTube Walden book review.
We look forward to seeing you there.
