Sparks were flying this weekend at North City U as this year’s Annual Philosopher’s s Convention and Chili Bake-off began to wind down. The final discussion question presented to the conference attendees was, “Is doing the Hokie-Pokie and turning one’s self around really what it’s all about?” Or is it time to question the wisdom that doing the Hokie-Pokie (a metaphor for simply excepting the dance steps of life given to us) is really what it’s all about? Does life require us to go beyond that which is given and force us to explore perhaps what is not given but move to exploring what is possible? Is it time for us to turn ourselves around, as in turning everything we know around, and really look at our life from a different and unfamiliar perspective?

Johnathan McGuire, a specialist in Aristotelian philosophy, offered that one can not disregard the wisdom of the ages without risking not benefiting from past errors while Francis Brig, a Post-Modernist, offered that, by following perscriptions put forward by history, we are bound necessarily by the built-in limitations of the past. McGuire then added that Brig always seems to spouts something like that whenever he really doesn’t know what his is talking about. To which Brig replied that McGuire is incapable of a coherent original thought on any topic.

This discussion brought the conference to lunch time. That seemed to wrap up debate since everyone agreed that it is generally not productive to consider deep and complex issues on an empty stomach and everyone one then proceeded to the dinning room.

After lunch the discussion continued with the notion being put forward that perhaps “That’s what it is all about” was just a convenient (though not great) rhyming line with the earlier line to “Shake it all about”. Time ran out before an any consensus could be reached.

In a related story, the German philosopher group won the Bake-off with a tangy and spicy deep-dish chili with the French Philosophers coming a close second with a more traditional bean-based recipe.