Philosophical thought need not be the reserve of academics in ivory towers. Everyone should take the time to exercise their grey matter, says Dr Stephen Palmquist, who helped found Hong Kong Philosophy Cafe two years ago.
'There are those who think Hong Kong people are either not interested in or incapable of philosophical thought, but that is not the case,' said Dr Palmquist, lecturer in philosophy and religion at Hong Kong Baptist University. There are now three talk groups - two English-language and one Chinese - and attendance continues to grow.
Meetings are held in the evening and the talks centre around a topic chosen in advance. Typical past subjects have included 'Is lying always wrong?', 'Can love be measured in time?' and 'Whom should we trust?'.
One person gives a short introduction before the topic is laid open for general discussion. A moderator is put in charge to ensure the discussion is constructive and that everyone who wants to talk has an opportunity. Current membership, which is free, stands at 200, with about 20 people attending each meeting.
Pondering deep and meaningful issues is something for which many Hong Kongers complain they cannot find the time, but Dr Palmquist says it is largely the busy people who come to the meetings. 'People don't have an opportunity to think philosophically in their jobs, so they come here to do it,' he said.
Philosophy cafes are by no means unique to Hong Kong. The phenomenon began in the summer of 1992 in Paris. By 1997, when Dr Palmquist attended the Third International Conference on Philosophical Thought in New York, the idea was widespread and it crystallised many of his own notions about philosophy. Today there are more than 130 cafes listed in France and 70 elsewhere in the world.