Democracy Café

For nearly two decades, Dr. Richard Bernstein has had a thriving Socrates Cafe at the Ethical Culture Society in Teaneck, New Jersey. As he said in a New York Times feature about Socrates Cafe, "Everybody has to deal with ultimate questions about why we're here and what's a good life and what's the meaning of life given the inevitability of death. Most of the time there's not a clear forum for discussing things that are very philosophically important, to give one's life a better sense of meaning and clarity.'' Thanks to his vibran Socrates Cafe, diverse participants in the Teaneck area have now had that clear forum for years on end. It was a joy to have a chance to pick the brain of this incredibly thoughtful and generous human being. Dr. Bernstein studied philosophy at Yale before going on to medical studies. His interests as a physician, as well as life itself, have a decided philosophical and existential dimension. In the tradition of William Carlos Williams, he is truly a doctor who cares about his pa