“Dreams of Love and Joy” in the “Laboratory of Meanings”

On January 28, “interested audience” met a musician, singer and songwriter, candidate of philosophical sciences, teacher of English Roman Kholodov in “Boiling Point – IvSU”.

This was the first experience within the framework of the new project “Laboratory of Meanings”. The event immediately captured the audience. It lasted for more than an hour and included a lot of philosophical questions, a parade of (life)creative attitudes, heartfelt and wise songs with comments on them, “talking with the elements of a master class about the meaning(s) of music” – and many other things. In general, “Everything at once!”, as our guest says in one of his songs. However, Roman Kholodov is not quite a guest: he graduated from IvSU Faculty of History and told a lot of kind words about his university and teachers.

Meeting moderator, head of the Department of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy Dmitry G. Smirnov asked Roman Kholodov three general questions at the beginning: “What is music in his understanding? Does the “connotation” or “background” of the perceiver matter in music? Do experiments in music contribute to the increment of meanings and is it necessary to listen to classical music today?”

Roman honestly admitted that he had not been professionally engaged in philosophy for many years (“although you can leave philosophy, it will not leave you”), but he has been engaged in music for as long as he can remember.

What was the event about? About the need to choose oneself, about the personal creed of the “translator” of the main meanings of being (and these are “faith, hope, love”, and “truth, goodness, beauty”, and, of course, God as the Absolute of all true), about perseverance with which one must go through hardships and losses – and not be afraid to believe oneself and give people hope for the best, about the categorical rejection of everything vile, vulgar, hopelessly depressive, everything that works to simplify, “lower the bar” ...

We have become richer for one more wonderful meeting.

Thank you, master!