French Philosogy, Western Philosophy & Psychology

3rd Dinner – Sartre’s Being and Nothingness

Gilles & Pedro

Sartre's Being and Nothingness contrasts hell and freedom by looking at human's essence and existence. Humans' need "to be something" causes hell on earth. The objectification of humans comes through the judgement of others or their own judgements of themselves, through roles and identities. Freedom, he argues, is to be nothing, to just exist.

The Invited Philosophers Gilles & Pedro The Menu First Course: Mediterranean salmon with dill and Za’atar sauce, couscous and oven-baked green beans Second Course: Cheese plate with multi-grain sourdough bread and crackers Dessert: Gilles Signature Almond Cake* Drinks: French Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Wine* *Courtesy of Gilles & Pedro The Philosophy Sartre’s Being and Nothingness is not an easy read but it is fascinating. The French edition of the book has 822 pages in small font. Gilles and Pedro did their homework when they came to dinner and taught me, through

our conversation, a lot of the nuances of L'Être et le Néant. Gilles, who is French, recounted how in France, philosophy is a required high school course. He accomplished a great feat by finding a French podcast, which summarizes the book with refreshing clarity and at times humor, and as the icing on the cake, we also hear Sartre himself speak. The Summary Our world is made of objects that are something based on their function or beingness. Most humans are objects too. The function of a phone, desk, car,…

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Spiritual Philosophy, Tao Te Ching

2nd Dinner – The Life Traveler

Paula

Chapter #27 of the Tae Te Ching teaches us that we all can be masters of life if we are open-minded, if we embrace any situation and any person we encounter in our life. It asks us to view life as a journey and our actions as a creation process, in art, science, teaching, in any area, making the best of each situation.

The Invited Philosopher Paula The Menu One Course – ladies eat less: Spicy Tunisian Chickpea Tagine Drinks: California Red Wine* *Courtesy of Paula The Philosophy Chapter #27 of the Tae Te Ching is one of my favorite chapters in the Tao Te Ching. The link I posted has a great interpretation of the chapter and I made sure during the dinner we did not repeat what was already said there but to find fresher and more personal insights into the

teachings. Summary The chapter starts with these two lines: A good traveler has no fixed plans And is not intent upon arriving The rest of the lines convey a similar message with the example of a good artist and a good scientist, and a master.  The chapter teaches us, by painting these different situations around people who engage in different activities, that we all can be masters of life, if we are open-minded and embrace any situation and any person…

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Greek Philosophy

1st Dinner – Plato’s Cave & The Ego

Francesco

Consider the ego as a prison of our true inner being. The ego produces all our self-serving thoughts that are centered on finding satisfaction and pleasure. We are trapped in the cave's shadows game by an ego that judges what we like or don’t like about everything, all the time, often disregarding the needs of others.

The Invited Philosopher Francesco The Menu First Course: Italian seasoned turkey burgers with organic mixed greens salad in balsamic vinaigrette Second Course: Cauliflower gnocchi with three cheese tomato sauce Third course: 4 cheese plate with Norwegian crackers and Italian Sourdough bread Drinks: Italian Prosecco* and Wine *Courtesy of Francesco The Philosophy I invite you to read about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave here, here and here, and all over the Internet.  Different translations add a little to the essence of

the story or message. Consider also watching some of the movies that use Plato’s Cave as their main theme: The Matrix, The Truman Show, Dark City, Cube, The Comformist. You will find all movies in Amazon, Cube does not have good reviews, but The Comformist goes in my bucket list!           The story The story describes prisoners in a cave chained since birth in such a way that they only see shadows in the wall of the cave, shadows…

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