Davis Square Philosophy Café January 15, 2008

McIntyre & Moore Booksellers hosts "Aesthetics and Elites: What Accounts for Good Taste?": January’s topic at the Davis Square Philosophy Café, moderated by Tom Clark, on January 15, 7:30-9:30 pm at McIntyre & Moore Booksellers, 255 Elm St. in Davis Square, Somerville, near the Red Line. Free and open to all; wheelchair accessible. 15% book discount* for all those attending [*discount available for day of event only]. For information call McIntyre & Moore Booksellers (617) 629-4840 or log onto www.mcintyreandmoore.com.

McIntyre and Moore Booksellers, in conjunction with the Center for Naturalism, continues year 5 of its discussion group series, the Davis Square Philosophy Café, held each month on the third Tuesday. The Philosophy Café is a philosophy discussion group modeled on philosophy cafés underway in other cities in Europe and the US. The goal is to present occasions for informal, relaxed philosophical discussion on topics of mutual interest to participants. No particular expertise is required to participate, only a desire to explore philosophy and its real world applications.   
 
January’s topic, “Aesthetics and Elites: What Accounts for Good Taste?," will focus on the following: 
When critics pronounce a work of art a masterpiece, this suggests it has objective merit, something that exists outside the aesthetic preferences of the beholder. Are they detecting something real, or simply cementing their status as elite arbiters of good taste? Are there aesthetic qualities that exist independently of the social functions of art, and if so, how do we account for them?

(Background of the moderator)
Tom Clark is director of the Boston-based Center for Naturalism and author of Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses. He writes on science, naturalism, free will, consciousness, addiction and other topics, and maintains an extensive website on philosophical and applied naturalism, Naturalism.Org. As moderator of the Philosophy Café, he brings an engaging interest in philosophy and its real world applications, and the ability to involve participants of varied backgrounds in animated, productive and fair discussion.

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