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Philosophy Now!

Philosophy Now! is a group process by which participants derive important truths regarding topics including but not limited to the nature of the universe, life, society, religion and foreign cuisine. The methodology of the process draws heavily on the Socratic Method and group counselling in that forming dialectics through the use of questions is encouraged and participants edify and utilize each others capabilities, possessions and/or ideas to find a solution to the proposed problem that is acceptable to the group. Key to the Philosophy Now! approach is that no sources of knowledge which are not immediately present on the physical bodies of or in the minds of the participants may be consulted. One adherent characterised it as a "what do you have in your pocket?" approach to problem solving.

Methodology

In a typical session, a participant iniciates the process by asserting a premise and asking for an affirmation or negation, or by directly asking a question which regards, or leads into a topic that she wants to discuss. The range of possible characterisations for the dynamic that is then established between the participants is as large as the proverbial range of snowflake designs, and includes antagonistic, submissive, pompous, humourous and unimportant. Both deductive and inductive arguments can be employed. The hingepin regarding any arguments is that the group reaches a consensus regarding their validity. Discussion of the arguments presented and the facts asserted continues until the group agrees on a conclusion. If no consensus is acheived, the issue must be considered an open question for that particular group. Note that a particular question could be considered open for a group of hypothetical participants Α, Β and Γ and closed for another group consisting of participants Α, Β and Δ. Participant Γ has ostensibly failed to reach a consensus with participants Α and Β although participant Δ has. Note as well that each session of Philosophy Now! exists as a unique experiment in the nature of existential truth and is captured and bound both in time and setting. Like a go board, each session is original and cannot be replicated. To an adherent of Philosophy Now!, there is not inherent contradiction in a premise being declared true at one time, amongst a particular group and declared false at another time and/or amongst another group.