Plato With a Pint Glass

An Evening with Agora

Amongst its many charms, a typical St Andrews pub bears two vital things: pints and patter. It’s a combination as divinely paired as East and West Sands, or sports socials and Wednesdays. As long as there have been pubs, there have been pub debates. The Guinness Book of Records’ existence sprung from an argument over darts. Student philosophy society Agora, with a publication of the same name, have thrown in their response to this age-old tradition with the re-commencement of their weekly ‘Philosophy and Pints’ night.

Closer to Plato’s cave than Parthenon, the beloved (if mildly dingy) cellar of Aikmans Bar has found itself as the unlikely epicentre of such philosophical meanderings. Attendees gathered in a circle poised and eager to offer up their two-pence to the pre-set question. The hot topic on the evening of Monday 22 September was: “Does language impact the existence of a given concept?” If you’re anything like me, and can only absorb small doses of philosophy before approaching Diogenean levels of insanity, then you may already be wincing at the prospect. 

Agora makes strong attempts to quell such concerns. The discussion began with a friendly reminder that it was just that — a discussion. Those seeking a formal debate will have to look to other societies in order to verbally annihilate their differently opinionated nemeses.  Moderators encouraged speakers to provide context and explanations to any philosophical terms used. This proved a very helpful rule of thumb for maintaining an intellectual yet crucially non-intimidating atmosphere for newcomers. Also, prior to the discussion, a code of hand signals corresponding to different types of points or rebuttals was established to direct the flow of conversation. 

With these rules laid out, the stage was set for the discussion to begin. As the conversation began to flow, the quaintness of the setting became all the more apparent; the shuffling in of latecomers and the gurgling of old pipes offered a delightfully mundane contrast to an increasingly existential subject matter. Despite the distraction, I would argue that the homely atmosphere brought a humble quality to the potential pretensions of the topic at hand. 

The conversation continued on in the way philosophy tends to do so — in circles. The imperfection of language to describe or explain existing concepts became a key talking point, and an ironic hindrance throughout the evening. The subjectivity of the terms of the question became increasingly apparent as the evening progressed. Simultaneously, the ability of members to adequately explain such terms became slightly sloppier as their glasses emptied. 

Whilst Agora’s appeal to a pensive community and scope for discussion is admirable, it suffers from a fatal ambition. The basis of the conversation is far too broad, and lends itself to tangential arguments, making it far too easy for the conversation to wander down intellectual, yet unrelated rabbit holes. There are only so many times the definition of a table can be debated back and forth before any reasonable (non-philosophy) student begins to look for the nearest one to hide under. 

Later, a division became apparent within the group, with one side of the room focusing on language’s role in art, and the other attempting to define existence. This was made especially apparent as smaller groups broke off later in the night. Crucially though, it also granted an opportunity for the more reserved speakers to find their voice. Perhaps the introduction of these more focused discussions is something that would benefit Agora from the get-go. The initial sight of members gathered in such a formalised set up is enough to dredge up repressed memories of first tutorials to even the most seasoned public speaker. 

So, if you’ve  ever found yourself pondering if your post-lecture pint would taste better with a side of pedantry, then this could be just the event for you. Agora’s free weekly discussions have opened a much needed forum for staging intellectual conversations in an accessible way. In contrast to the lofty allusions of the society’s name — which evokes images of the classical Greek forum of debate — Agora meets its members at a familiar playing field . Even if you do find yourself looking for furniture to hide under, or running out of philosophers to name drop, you can rest assured that if the conversation dries up, at least your drink won’t!

Photo by St Andrews Agora Society