The Horsefly; Socratic Methods in Philosophy

"Vitrin" is a platform for familiarizing with ideas and activities by the Iranian community worldwide and in the virtual world, which you might be unaware of. Starting this week and periodically, a website or virtual activity will be featured in "Vitrin," introduced to you, and a brief conversation will be held with its organizers and idea creators. You can also email [email protected] to have your website featured in "Vitrin." Website name: Khormags Website address: www.falsafeh.com Field of work: Philosophy Update format: Periodical Organizer details: Ramin Jahanbegloo - Shahrokh Haghighi - Shirin Dokht Daghighian - Esfandiar Tabari. Upon hearing the name "Khormags," you might not immediately guess that it is a philosophical website. This site, managed by four experts in the field, is a periodical that addresses various areas of philosophy and discusses topics from a philosophical perspective. A section of this website explains the vision of the Khormags philosophical periodical: "Facilitating creative exchange of ideas among contemporary Iranian thinkers and philosophers from all schools of thought, thereby helping to establish collective wisdom among Iranians in the realm of philosophical and social questions." Interview with Esfandiar Tabari, a member of the editorial board of "Khormags". To get to know "Khormags" better, we spoke with one of the editorial board members, Esfandiar Tabari, a philosophy instructor and researcher at "Yumet Derhal" University in Austria. - Why Khormags? Quoting Plato, Socrates sees himself as a horsefly on the body of Athenian democracy, critiquing and reassessing unexamined concepts of tradition with his thought and language. Socrates lost his life in this pursuit. Therefore, the name "Khormags" reflects that our method and path are Socratic. - Where did the idea for this website come from, and how was the editorial board formed? The need for a philosophical publication had occupied our minds for years until, after initial contacts and assessing the minimum possibilities, we made it a reality. - Why a periodical? How often is it updated? Writing philosophical articles is very challenging, especially if quality takes precedence over quantity, which is our absolute priority. Therefore, to alleviate the pressure related to publishing at specific and periodic times, we decided to create a periodical. Our goal is to publish three or two issues each year. In the first year of activity, three issues focusing on religion, freedom, and violence were published. However, the website is updated twice a week with new articles or selections from other sites, and Facebook is updated daily. Additionally, the Khormags website and its Facebook page always have discussion and Q&A opportunities, inviting all interested parties to participate. - How did you decide to publish articles in magazine and PDF format? Are the texts on the website the same as those in the PDF magazine? Our goal is to provide articles and discussions to interested parties without any cost and in the simplest possible way. PDF is a good standard in this regard. Moreover, some articles from the magazine are linked to the website about one or two months after publication. We also utilize Facebook. - Who are the audiences of the Khormags website? Are they just philosophy graduates or all enthusiasts of this field? The articles primarily have an academic level. However, efforts are made to present questions in a simple language so that philosophy enthusiasts can access them. The selected topics also hold particular social relevance. - How historical is your view of philosophy, and how contemporary is it? Philosophy is not just the history of philosophy, but without the history of philosophy, meaning without knowing what predecessors have said about our topics of interest, one cannot engage in philosophy. Therefore, we strive to effectively and diversely connect historical perspectives with advanced modern discussions, which take on different dimensions depending on the subject matter. - In the categorization of topics, areas such as ethics, religion, science, and politics are evident. Will you also address other areas such as the philosophy of art? In fact, in the third issue of Khormags, we have a cinematic critique of one of Iran's films from the past decade, based on the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas. The philosophy of art is also part of Khormags' agenda and will be addressed. In this area, as in others, we invite writers and experts to submit articles. - How much of the content used is translated and how much is original? Our effort is to present two or three translations of classic and foundational texts related to the subject matter in each issue. We believe that understanding a philosopher must begin with reading the text directly from them. - What is the status of philosophy in Iran? In terms of education in universities, content production, and the writing and translation of articles and books, what condition are we in? Interest in philosophy in Iran is high, and writers and translators have made significant efforts to introduce philosophy and its works. However, unfortunately, there are many obstacles in Iran that make it difficult for people, especially the younger generation, to access primary philosophical works and a public space for discussion. Our effort is to help enthusiasts find their way into philosophical thinking and engage comprehensively with contemporary issues. Today, the humanities and philosophy in Iran are seriously at risk. The restriction of these fields in recent years and the lack of independence of universities from religious centers have endangered the future of education and the training of specialists in the humanities and philosophy. This is while it has been proven that the growth of philosophical thinking in societies is a hallmark of progress. This fact motivates us to better introduce the method of philosophical thinking.