Philosophy in the ancient world was not merely a compilation of logical propositions nor simply rules for persuasive argumentation, but instead was a craft of living everyday life beyond the classroom. The Greeks called it hê technê tou biou; the Romans, ars vivendi. Philosophy for them was artfully, determinedly, and continuously becoming a character, a sum of attitudes, behaviors, gestures, and manners, a discourse about philosophy with philosophy itself. For them, philosophy is born of deliberately organizing and adopting those propositions into the fabric of one’s daily life, of turning arguments about how one should live life into a life lived.
Using everyday words and ideas to organize one’s thinking; exploring important questions from a variety of perspectives; communicating and acting in a coherent, effective manner—these are the fundamentals of an education in philosophy which harken back to the models of the ancients. At the same time, these fundamentals are hardly ancient history. Successful people in a variety of fields—from the sciences to business to the arts—understand the importance of not only having a good idea, but being able to articulate that idea to a broad audience, and—most importantly—being able to translate that idea into action.
Philosophical Stages will inspire students to think rigorously while enabling them to express their ideas effectively and actively by means of skills drawn from the theater arts. Through an introduction to basic principles of stage acting, students will learn to:
- enhance their ‘presence’, that quality which makes an actor compelling to watch and allows for an authentic, persuasive style;
- raise their confidence while moving and talking in front of an audience of their peers;
- expand their expressive potential by conditioning their voices and their physical gestures;
- engage their audience by understanding their position and listening for cues.
Actors are effective communicators, and the skills that actors develop and employ can be used by students to communicate their philosophical ideas clearly and cogently. Through dramatic games and exercises students will develop a facility for communication not simply through their words, but through their voice tone and their body language as well. People tend to listen more to the tone with which a message is delivered, rather than to the content. Philosophical Stages will provide students with the tools to develop their tone in concert with their content, making them more effective and persuasive young thinkers.
Forward to Philosophical Performances
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Posted at May 14/2005 12:34 PM:
James: "If it were the classicist's task to provide formal education, he would have to teach walking, dancing, speaking, singing, deportment, conversation. And this was pretty much what was taught by the formal teachers of the second and third century. But nowadays the only thought is the education of the professional scholar, and here "formal" means: thinking and writing, hardly any speaking" (Nietzsche, Wir Philologen 5(35)).
