Christopher Phillips > Quotes

“one could not attain greater personal excellence without also paving the way for everyone else in society to attain it as well.”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Passionate Heart

“Alexandros points to the bronze sculpture of Socrates. "His society didn't collapse because of an outside aggressor. It collapsed from within, from the complete breakdown of communication between citizens, and the breakdown of loving sentiment for one another. They ganged up and got rid of Socrates because he was an uncomfortable reminder of the glory days of ancient Athens, when /demokratia/--'people power'--reigned and citizens worked toward a greater good. He epitomized the fact that you're meant to stay open to all views, to all human experiences, because that's how you deepen your love for people and of wisdom. That amazing man sacrificed his life in the name of classic Athenian values of excellence and honor and compassion, so one day they might live on. And they did, here in America, for more than two centuries. I'm worried my beloved America is becoming as loveless as ancient Athens in its days of decline.”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Passionate Heart

“I would replace the quality of sincerity with honesty, since one can hold a conviction sincerely without examining it, while honesty would require that one subject one's convictions to frequent scrutiny.”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy

“On occasion, those attending Socrates Café have met the love of their lives.”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Passionate Heart

“You don’t ever hear anyone talking about childing, do you?” “There should be a word like childing,” says Lauren. “Children give birth to parents. There wouldn’t be parents without children. Not only that, children raise parents. My mom and dad all the time tell me how they learn important lessons in life from me. They”
― Christopher Phillips, The Philosophy of Childing: Unlocking Creativity, Curiosity, and Reason through the Wisdom of Our Youngest

“Yet often they are neglected to the point that they become supplanted by “habits of hasty, heedless, impatient glancing over the surface … of haphazard, grasshopper-like guessing … of credulity alternating with flippant incredulity, belief or unbelief being based, in either case, upon whim, emotion, or accidental circumstances.” Dewey’s use-it-or-lose-it philosophy is that “the only way to achieve traits of carefulness, thoroughness, and continuity … is by exercising these traits from the beginning”—traits which we possess from the outset but must polish if they are to remain in good condition. He rues that many seem willfully to exorcise these traits in themselves and do further damage by allowing them to atrophy in children under their care.”
― Christopher Phillips, The Philosophy of Childing: Unlocking Creativity, Curiosity, and Reason through the Wisdom of Our Youngest

“Although he is a soft touch for any cause that helps lift up needy people or perpetuate democracy, he believes that the “tithe” he gives—nearly half of his earnings—is the least anyone should give who is “blessed to live in a great democracy.”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Passionate Heart

“Nietzsche suggests that “if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.” In”
― Christopher Phillips, Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy