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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

café-philo

English translation:

philosophy club

Added to glossary by Catharine Cellier-Smart
Feb 28, 2014 16:40
10 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

café-philo

French to English Art/Literary Philosophy
This is from a list of activities which will be implemented once funding is received. A "café-philo" is one of them.

I've been to café-philos before personally, but I can't imagine what the exact English expression would be, or if there is one. It's essentially a laid-back, open discussion, but planned in advance, about a certain (academic) topic. It's coffee and philosophy; the imagery is pretty clear, but is there an equivalent term?
Proposed translations (English)
3 philosophy club
4 philosophy café
3 philosophy pow-wow
3 café-philo
References
info only
Change log

Mar 3, 2014 17:51: Catharine Cellier-Smart Created KOG entry

Discussion

patrickfor Mar 3, 2014:
@Annette you have to do the translation, so obviously it's your choice and I respect that. I am quite happy to notice that wiki and many other (english) sources do not translate at all.
Cafés-philo are not what you say they are. One can call an unformal discussion about philosophy a "café-philo" or whatever they like, it doesn't change the facts. Besides I will be interested in getting references to "café-philo" in an academic context in Lyon, as this is rather incredible to me... Are they open to the general public?
Annette Stomp (asker) Mar 3, 2014:
I've gone to several café-philos as I've mentioned before, here in Lyon, in an academic context, and they take place in university classrooms. Sometimes there's isn't even any coffee! Or it's very bad. In any case, the point is the discussion. So the place is the classroom. The word "café" as it's used in English, would give it too much a sense of place, one that's already very dominated in our imaginations by Starbucks and the like :-) Really, café-philos are no more than organised discussions. I love "pow-wow", it strikes a chord immediately with my understanding, but I think "club" captures the temporary nature of this activity well while remaining fairly general. It puts the emphasis on the activity rather than the place. I'll have to keep looking to find the equivalent activities in other English university contexts. Ie. Discussion hours/groups?
patrickfor Mar 1, 2014:
@Catharine everybody is entitled to have their own views :-) the fact is the name was given because of the place... un café. There are plenty of other places where people can talk litterature, philosophy, whatever... Club imho goes with "members" and café is an open place, a public place, you don't have to be a member to go there.
Catharine Cellier-Smart Mar 1, 2014:
@Patrickfor
Apart from 3 years in Asia I've lived in Reunion (so France) since 1990, so I was around to see the concept of café philos take shape and grow ;-)
IMO the concept of a 'club' in English in this particular context in no way differs from the idea of a convivial forum.
The reference you quote is already present in the references.
P.S. It's Catharine not Catharina ;-)
patrickfor Mar 1, 2014:
I just found there is quite an acurate definition of the concept in the english wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_Philosophique
"The concept was to bring people together in a public friendly forum where they could discuss ideas. A cafe tended to have this type of atmosphere where people were relaxed drinking coffee and carrying on conversations. This concept ultimately developed into Café Philosophique that he founded"
patrickfor Mar 1, 2014:
@Catharina: Le concept "café philo" est né dans les années 90 dans le cadre d'une politique qui consistait a rendre conviviaux, et changer l'image, de certains bars et autres cafés. Je vois que vous êtes à La Reunion en voici un qui se tient dans un restaurant
http://reunion.orange.fr/loisirs/culture-sorties/evenements/...
Certaines asso en organisent dans leurs locaux, mais c'est par extension du concept...
Catharine Cellier-Smart Mar 1, 2014:
@patrickfor Continuing my reply here as there's no room left below:

The important thing here is the getting together to talk about philosophy, not so much where it takes place. Don't forget that translation also means 'translating' culture as well as words. If she concentrates too much on the 'café' aspect and leaves to one side the philosophy aspect the Asker risks overtranslating.

P.S. I'm a regular member of a 'café littéraire', but that doesn't mean it takes place in a café!
patrickfor Mar 1, 2014:
café here is not the drink, it's the place. In french "un café" or "un bar" are the same. In England it would be a pub... The idea behind the concept is to bring "entertainment" into an unformal place like a "bar" or a "café". Make it a "social place" where people meet and talk.. Not necessarily posh....
Annette Stomp (asker) Feb 28, 2014:
With all due respect, brown-bag lunch sounds nowhere near as posh as café-philo. This expression is for use in France, after all. ;-)
DLyons Feb 28, 2014:
A "brown-bag lunch" is roughly equivalent but wouldn't be ideal as a translation.
philgoddard Feb 28, 2014:
I think "coffee and philosophy" fits the bill perfectly, perhaps followed by "sessions", depending on the context.

Proposed translations

1 hr
Selected

philosophy club

book club = café litteraire
café litteraire = book club

The Philosophy Club is composed of students interested in philosophy who come together to learn about and discuss informally philosophical topics of interest.
http://www.cla.auburn.edu/philosophy/philosophy-club/

Philosophy Club
The Philosophy Club is our forum for visiting speakers.
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/philosophy/dept/phclub/

The London Philosophy Club holds free talks from some of the leading contemporary philosophers.
http://www.meetup.com/londonphilosophers

There's even a novel by Alexander McCall Smith
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sunday-Philosophy-Club-Dalhousie/d...
Note from asker:
I think this answer highlights the temporary, delocalised nature of café-philos. I keep wondering what these groups would be at Oxford :-p
Peer comment(s):
neutral patrickfor : it doesn't convey the idea of meeting in "un bar, un café... //Of course we know where it takes place! it will not be called like that if not un a "bar, café, salon de thé etc."
7 hrs
1) neither does book club 2) we don't know where this 'cafe philo' takes places anyway 3) the most impt thing here is to get across the idea of people getting together to talk about philosophy in an informal way, precise place in secondary IMO
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Captures will the focus on the temporary, de-localised activity"
16 hrs

philosophy pow-wow

Why not use the proz.com term for such informal meetings?
Something went wrong...
17 hrs

café-philo

It's so quintessentially French that I'd leave it untranslated and add a translator's note.
Something went wrong...
19 mins

philosophy café

From the Australian reference below

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2014-03-01 10:08:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


Philosophy cafe, Story
www.philosophycafe.com.au/philosophy-cafe-story‎
Coffee , philosophy philosophical debates over coffee, Caffissimo West End. ... There were about 100 "cafés-philos" operating throughout France and some 150 cafés-philos internationally at the time of Sautet's death in 1998. And we are one ..

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2014-02-28 17:00:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perth Philosophy Cafe is about connecting people through creating an envirionment where people can come together, have intellectual interesting and great discussions. Where we value the person, and are interested in who you are and listen to you and your viewa.
We are not about debates, or attacking the person. But about discussing the different views that people have, and open your mind to possibilitie

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2014-03-01 16:03:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

They've even got a

Philosophy Café

in Southampton, UK

Philosophy Cafe | University of Southampton
www.southampton.ac.uk/lifelonglearning/philosophy/public......‎
Our highly successful Philosophy Café (run in conjunction with the John Hansard Gallery) is now entering its fifth year: the Café offers regular, informal lunchtime ...

sounds less pretentious than "café-philo", IMHO
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : your ref leaves it in French, doesn't translate it. /it's Australian.........
51 mins
So what is the Perth Philosophy Cafe/é then??/I don't think we'd be much cop in a philosophy café/group/pow-pow/café-philo as we would go round in circles nit-picking:)!!!
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Reference comments

16 mins
Reference:

info only

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_Philosophique

Café philosophique ("cafe-philo") is a grassroots forum for philosophical discussion, founded by philosopher Marc Sautet (1947–1998) in Paris, France, on December 13, 1992.[1]
There were about 100 "cafés-philo" operating throughout France and some 150 cafés-philos internationally at the time of Sautet's death in 1998.[2][3]

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2014-02-28 16:59:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Philosophy cafe, Story
www.philosophycafe.com.au/philosophy-cafe-story‎
Coffee , philosophy philosophical debates over coffee, Caffissimo West End. ... There were about 100 "cafés-philos" operating throughout France and some 150 cafés-philos internationally at the time of Sautet's death in 1998. And we are one ..

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2014-02-28 17:00:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perth Philosophy Cafe is about connecting people through creating an envirionment where people can come together, have intellectual interesting and great discussions. Where we value the person, and are interested in who you are and listen to you and your viewa.
We are not about debates, or attacking the person. But about discussing the different views that people have, and open your mind to possibilities.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2014-02-28 17:01:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


My passion is coffee and how it brings people together,

Great philosophical debates can be held over the humble cup of coffee, and cafe's for many years, have been a place to do this.

Why does so much philosophy take place in bars and cafe's?
What's the relationship between drinking and thinking?

My passion of coffee, cafes and philosophy is not alone;
Café philosophique ("cafe-philo") is a grassroots forum for philosophical discussion, founded by philosopher Marc Saute (1947–1998) in Paris, France, on December 13, 1992.

There were about 100 "cafés-philos" operating throughout France and some 150 cafés-philos internationally at the time of Sautet's death in 1998.

And we are one of those....

The Philosophy group is now evolving and more intense discussions and workshops are in the making, with guest speakers and lectures stimulating our minds with the aim to discover a deeper sense of self, and purpose.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Jenny Bright
49 mins
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