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I frequently receive questions from readers who believe that discussing serious philosophical issues in public is inappropriate. Discussing philosophy in public may be trivialized by simple-minded people. Yes, there is a fact in that statement. But I have to do it.
It is impossible not to hold such discussions in a public forum. Public discussions are the only way interested parties will learn about such topics. Philosophical discussions are extremely rare in the Tamil environment.
But there are four dangers in holding such discussions in a public space.
Firstly, those who come to speak confidently without any background and rely only on superficial reading create endless confusion. Their arrogance prevents them from discussing the issue and reaching clarity.
Two: the moralists and fierce religious believers will enter into all discussions and deny everything, criticize, and present their side.
Three, the gang that fears anything intellectual and satirizes them out of a sense of inferiority, will make all discussions vain. They will portray the entire field of philosophy as dull and uninteresting.
Four, the political gangs that bring all discussions into their silly everyday politics will intrude and ruin all useful ideas.
These are all four risks of discussing philosophical ideas in public. Learning philosophy with a negative attitude is a kind of intellectual suicide. Prejudice heavily influences the complex subject of philosophy.
When we oppose these opposites, we go into a negative state of mind which affects our learning. We should approach philosophy with a completely positive attitude. One could compare it to experiencing the ecstasy and perfection of a well-crafted poem. Actually, philosophy is a much greater experience than that.
Therefore, I present these only within limits, as a beginning.
