Again, our reading is: Lugones, M. (1987). Playfulness, “World”-Travelling, and Loving Perception. Hypatia, 2(2), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1987.tb01062.x
This paper explores a number of fascinating questions and ideas relating to the theme of where, and how, philosophy happens. We’re going to start the session today by exploring some of the big themes in the paper, and then we’re going to move on to talk about how philosophy might take place in contexts where we do not expect it.
Some concepts
Lugones explores a number of novel concepts. Some of the major concepts are these:
- Arrogant perception and loving perception.
- “World” and World-travelling
- Being at ease
- Playfulness
Find these concepts in the text. The way Lugones uses them is not necessarily the way you might expect. -
- What does she mean by them?
- How do they intersect with each other?
- How do they intersect with your own experience?
We’ll take 12 minutes to make some notes, and then divide you into breakout groups to talk about your reflections.
Breakout Groups
- Share your reflections on Lugones
- In what ways are questions of gender and queerness at stake in Lugones’s work?
- How might queering philosophy be beneficial (however we personally identify)?
Discussion
- What are the implications of Lugones’s view for how we think about philosophy (and how we think about life)?
Where Does Philosophy Happen? And how?
Think of some of the following worlds.
- Your home
- A seminar room
- A sports ground
- A teashop or café
- Your grandmother’s home
- A garden
- A church, religious building, or temple
Which of these worlds do you travel to / between? What kinds of ease/unease do you experience in these worlds? How playful are you in these settings? How are you perceived (and how do you perceive others) in these worlds? And what kinds of practice of philosophy are possible in these worlds?