Beer Salon began in February 2010. It was born out of the recognition that while we had all been friends for a number of years, we had failed to enter into more intentional, in-depth conversation. Our first beer salons were a disaster, best summed up by the terms posturing, ego, and pretentious tom foolery. We decided there was a need to step back and discuss the way we discuss, so we brought Theodore Zeldin's, Art of Conversation to the table. With the help of Zeldin we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to come to BS with a willingness to be changed and commitment to collectively seeking truth instead of winning the argument. To help us achieve those goals we borrowed the idea of a conversational midwife from Socrates via Zeldin. The midwife is charged with guiding the conversation. Practically this takes the form of ensuring the contribution of all, monitoring when a conversation is no longer constructive, and keeping time.
A list of what we have discussed thus far:
film: Princess and the Frog
author/historian: Theodore Zeldin: Art of Conversation
film: Examined Life (in 6 separate meetings)
philosopher/poet: John O'Donohue
film: Farm for the Future
Personal Stories: BSers
author/naturalist: Barry Lopez
"Aristotle said, I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer." ---Brennan Manning
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