This month’s Socrates Café question:

“If your core beliefs change over time, is that a sign of personal weakness or personal strength?”

Just in time for flip-flop season!

8 Responses to “August ‘09 Socrates Café”
  1. Matt H. says:

    If your core beliefs change to reflect how you have become a better person, and become someone who helps others more, then it is a positive change, and a sign of personal strength.

  2. brad rothman says:

    Time=Change. It is unavoidable. So in fact the essence of the question is the word ‘core’. Is a little growth better then allot of growth. Of course not. Hence, a sign of personal strength

  3. Randy Zeitman says:

    Strength and weakness are about defending your beliefs, not forming or changing them.

    Another similar question: Is it strong to not care what others think? Is it weak to seek the approval of others?

  4. Russian Paul says:

    Tod! and this is another question. do you ask questions when because you donot have paints to make more pictures? they make me think about things that i donot think about normaly. again this is a question like the last where i canot read all the words but i think i do understand enuf of it to be able to give a good answer for all the other people to think about. Also i belief that i can be stronger by lifting heavy bells and deep squating. i am weaker if i donot do lifting and deep squating. it is easy, no? i would like more pictures please.

  5. Arlene says:

    Life means change because everything changes somewhat over time. It seems reasonable that some of our core beliefs might change or in someway be altered through our experiences. I think having the courage to make and accept change shows strength.
    Good question. I wish my schedule would permit me to attend more meetings but I love the idea of being able to participate through this site. Thank you Todd.

  6. Warren Irons says:

    Gilles Deleuze would posit that rather than thinking of identities we think of difference and repetition. As such the very concept of the unchanging subject is rendered to be ontologically impossible. This cannot be a question of weakness and strength for flux is inherent in subjectivity itself.

    Nevertheless, if we consider all human subjects as having an apparent point of action with an awareness of history. And then we conjecture that this awareness of history/point of action/ego/narrative force can be judged by any system of standards. Then I would argue that it can only be a sign of strength for this force to defeat (or come close to defeating) the very nature of the subject that acts upon by rendering it changeless. As such, to not change ones belief’s would be a sort of transcendental “strength” of the person.

  7. Ryan Weisz says:

    brad, time cannot equal change because time is just a man made measure of change.

    allow me to demonstrate

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    Man… cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past: however far or fast he runs, that chain runs with him.

    Friedrich Nietzsche

  8. brad rothman says:

    i’m glad you think so