2. ARISTOTLE’S CAFÉ 2
The state of affairs
“The essence of democracy itself is now widely taken to be deliberation, as
opposed to voting, interest aggregation, constitutional rights, or even self-
government” (Dryzek, 2002, p. 1). As stated by Dryzek (2002), the ability for
citizens to engage in dialogue in a civilized manner is of great importance, perhaps
of the greatest importance. Building upon ancient wisdom, Aristotle exclaimed, “It is
the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
One can begin the process of deliberation, which begins with ideas that are in
conflict, through unforced and open discussion because the institution of democracy
is set in place to make that happen (Miller, 1992). To maintain a high level of
participation and understanding within a democracy, it is important that
deliberation be promoted. There are a number of arenas that have been established
to do just that, one of them is a group stimulated discussion forum named Aristotle’s
Café.
Aristotle’s Café is a forum in which participants can openly discuss thoughts,
feelings, and ideas about the world. Through the use of invitational rhetoric and the
Socratic method, Aristotle’s Café discussions establish a safe venue to share ideas,
opinions, and questions. It also serves as a place to learn through conversation and
free expression (Foss & Griffin, 1995). With minimal verbal participation, a
facilitator assists the group in discovering and sharing their thoughts on the topic of
their choice. The initial question explored is chosen by group submissions and then
a majority vote is used to narrow the question down to just one. Facilitators are
3. ARISTOTLE’S CAFÉ 3
trained to pose questions that explore depth and complexity rather than adding
extraneous input. These discussions last about one hour.
Aristotle’s Cafés are currently being sponsored at three mid-sized
universities around the United States. The forum uses an open style of
communication. It is not a unidirectional type of communication as most lecture
methods, but rather a flow of ideas and questions (Hawkins-Leon, 1998; Sattler,
1943; Schiller, 2008). While this might not be a traditional lecture, the Socratic
Method has been shown to have benefits (Boghossian, 2006; Ekachai & Parkinson,
2002; Garside, 1996; Gordon, 2003; Paul & Elder, 2007; Tsui, 2002; Tucker, 2007)
and thus Aristotle’s Café might be useful to supplement instruction. If the goal of the
educational systems is to create well-rounded and knowledgeable citizens, it is vital
to utilize all methods that will aid in this pursuit. Dialogue is important because
communication is the constitutive element of social systems (Vanderstraeten,
1991). Thus, the communication involved within any interaction has the possibility
to help students raise levels of cultural intelligence as well as increase the ability for
students to critically think (APA, 1990; Krathwohl, 2002; Taylor, 1997; Thomas,
2006). A review of literature in concern to the format of Aristotle’s Café along with
these elements will now be described in detail.
Literature Review
Invitational Rhetoric and the Socratic Method as bedfellows
The format of Aristotle’s Café revolves around two important components,
the use of invitational rhetoric to establish a place for people to give opinions freely,
and the use of questions to uncover assumptions of participants. At the beginning of
19. ARISTOTLE’S CAFÉ 19
feel safe”, “the focal point of this group is empathy”, “it’s more accepting”, and “a
great chance to talk to other people” ranged across all three days of group
interviews. The setting of safety facilitated both enjoyment and reasoning within
the participants.
Liking/identification was found as a category because of the enjoyment or
personal identification with the format of the discussion group. The statement, “I
think this should be a requirement, it should be put into the class” was made by a
participant and supported by all others within the group on May 4th, 2010. Others
focused on specific details, such as “I thought it was a good strong group of people”,
“I hear a lot of good things”, “I love challenges”, or “good topic.” The likeability of the
format also led to identification with the group. Some participants spoke in ways
that reflected the atmosphere and format of the group itself, actually expressing
elements of invitational rhetoric. One participant commented on the forum as,
“proof to people that say online learning is going to be the norm, we need this kind
of interaction.” That statement was followed by a clamoring of “yes” and “thank
you.” A more concise example of the plurality of opinions that invitational rhetoric
supports can be found in a statement by a participant interested in teaching, “I want
to be a teacher because I want to, not because I think there is anything great about
me being a teacher, I just want everything that I’ve learned, I want to share with as
many people as possible. Even if they don’t agree, just so they know.” The
participant expresses a non-hierarchal approach to teaching in the same way that
invitational rhetoric supports that same approach to discussion (Foss & Griffen,
22. ARISTOTLE’S CAFÉ 22
Discussion
After synthesizing this qualitative data, the ability for Aristotle’s Café to
facilitate cultural intelligence as well as critical thinking in a safe environment
where people can practice certain skills seems evident. A discussion of the
particular way in which those elements occur will be described by using the
metaphor of a ship. First starting with the format, and then addressing implications
of that format on cultural intelligence and critical thinking.
The interviews conducted after the three sessions demonstrate that the
feeling of safety was present. This was reflected by the participants’ feelings of
freedom of expression, the friendly atmosphere and the ability to think rationally
about challenged ideas. The openness of the group seemed in many cases to be in
contrast to the regular discussions participants were used to engaging in. “I really
enjoyed the communication, the back and forth between people, it’s always fun to
like get your ideas out there and hear what other people have to say on the
subject…” (4/21/10), was a stance that most of the participants agreed with. The
safe environment made participants calm and open to suggestions, because of that
mindset the elements of cultural intelligence and critical thinking could both be
expanded. Looking at the data, participants communicated no fear of attack or
humiliation and at the same time could be challenged and proved wrong without
getting upset.
The discussions were not graded or evaluated and neither were the
participants in their answers. The enjoyment that no right or wrong answer existed
came up several times across all interviews. The environment created by
31. ARISTOTLE’S CAFÉ 31
• What did you learn today, if anything? Are you interested in taking part in it
again?
• Do you believe it is your responsibility to pursue learning? If so, in what ways
do you seek to enhance your knowledge, or engage in learning outside of the
university?
• While at Aristotle’s Café do you find yourself bringing in material from the
classroom or elsewhere?
• Do you think this motivated you intellectually to learn more about certain
issues?
Topic: Critical Thinking
• Did you find yourself evaluating what was being said?
• Did you find yourself arguing or defending things that were discussed?
• Did you come up with new ideas or new ways of thinking during the
discussion?
• Do you think differently after this event and how?
Closing
It is looking like our time has come to an end (interviewee’s name). Lastly though is
there anything you would like to add that we may have missed in the course of this
interview? I want to thank you for talking to me, and if I need to do some follow up
on this interview would you mind if I contacted you through phone or e-mail? Great!
Goodbye.