2014.06.23 01:00 - Meeting semantia

The Guardian for this meeting was Wester Kiranov. The comments are by Wester Kiranov.

semantia Resident came to the pavillion for the first time, and we had a nice introductory discussion.

Wester Kiranov: hi semantia
semantia Resident: hi :)
Wester Kiranov: nice to meet you - have you been here before?
semantia Resident: you too. It's my first time here, how about you?
Wester Kiranov: i come here regularly, and I have done so for ages
semantia Resident: why is no one else here?
Wester Kiranov: this is usually a quiet time
semantia Resident: are there more people at 7?
Wester Kiranov: all the americans are asleep now
Wester Kiranov: I think there will be more at 7, or at 1 pm
semantia Resident: heh well that does make sense. Where are you from?
Wester Kiranov: the netherlands
Wester Kiranov: you?
semantia Resident: Israel
Wester Kiranov: ok
Wester Kiranov: are you just dropping by, or did you hear about this place somewhere?
semantia Resident: someone I met told me I should come here, that interesting discussions take place over here
Wester Kiranov: they do, sometimes.
Wester Kiranov: and if there's anything in particular you feel like talking about, feel free to start a two-person conversation
Wester Kiranov: btw, do you have the notecard yet?
semantia Resident: well.. I like all kinds of philosophical questions anr moral discussions.. I was hoping to see where the drift goes
semantia Resident: yeah I took it
Wester Kiranov: yeah, that's what I usually do too, but I have to admit it works better if there's someone who does want to talk about something in particular
Wester Kiranov: so could you give an example of a question or topic that's been on your mind?
semantia Resident: that would be difficult for me.. I study philosophy and am in a debate team so all I do all day is switch between questions like these..
Wester Kiranov: ok
Wester Kiranov: we try not to have debates here. If there's a discussion, the goal is not to win but to open up and learn
semantia Resident: debate is not about winning for me so much as learning
Wester Kiranov: good
semantia Resident: it is a tactical game and there are winners and losers, but the point of the debate is to learn to back up things, sometimes things you dont' agree with
semantia Resident: that really helps you open your mind and grow
Wester Kiranov: it can be a nice game if you play to win too, i admit
--BELL--
semantia Resident: the thing about competitive debate is that you are assigned a position and you don't choose one, which is what makes it very nice in my opinion, because unlike winning conversations where you support what you feel and believe, you might win supporting the complete opposite of what you truly think
Wester Kiranov: that's true, it can sharpen your mind and help you open up
Wester Kiranov: BTW, I do like to observe the 90 seconds silence at the gong. I find it helps keep the conversations more spacious.
semantia Resident: ah, i see.. I didn't realize that happened, not used to everything going on around the game yet
Wester Kiranov: that's why I'm telling you :-)
semantia Resident: :)
Wester Kiranov: so, how did you decide to study philosophy?
semantia Resident: it was something I always knew i wanted to do
semantia Resident: i've been reading philosophical books since an early age, and asking philosophical questions since I was 5 or so
semantia Resident: what do you do?
Wester Kiranov: i studied both philosophy and general sciences, but i didn't manage to find a job in that :-(
Wester Kiranov: so now i am a mailwoman, and i have young children too
Wester Kiranov: not that young really - they're turning 8 in a few weeks time
semantia Resident: ah I see.. happy up coming birthday :)
Wester Kiranov: i do still like learning. I read a lot, and I like doing online courses
semantia Resident: why didn't you continue your studies then?
Wester Kiranov: i did finish the general sciences. the philosophy was a bit of an extra, i thought it would give me an edge when applying for jobs, and of course i was interested in the questions too.It just took a bit too much time and energy
--BELL--
semantia Resident: what does general science mean? and what kind of job can you get with it usually?
Wester Kiranov: well, it was a bit of all science subjects - physics, biology, mathematics, computers. You're supposed to become the kind of person who can take a big overview of different subjects.
Wester Kiranov: but for me it was mainly interesting because i never stay interested in the same thing for long
semantia Resident: yeah, it sounds nice..
semantia Resident: hey I'm sorry, but I really have to go now
semantia Resident: it was nice seeing you and perhaps I'll bump into you again
semantia Resident: have a great day
Wester Kiranov: it was nice to meet you too
Wester Kiranov: bye