Letter from the founder

Welcome!

I’m Sofie Robinson, founder of Theoria Center. I’m glad you’re here.

In a general sense, our mission is one of connection. We strive to forge connections not only between residents of senior living communities, but also between generations. We do so by hosting philosophy discussion groups, providing opportunities for open inquiry, collective reflection, and genuine conversation.

My first encounter with philosophy came in summer 2020, when days spent indoors gave me the time — and restlessness — to pick up Plato’s Republic. It was a daunting text, and one of which I understood very little. Yet as soon as I’d finished the book, something pulled me back. I read (with even less success) the Laws and the dialogues. These texts were baffling, but addictively so. If only there were a way, I thought to myself, to understand these philosophical arguments without having to decode this seemingly impenetrable language.

And then, in my first year of college, thanks to some incredible professors, I realized that this actually was possible. As I’d suspected, philosophy is fascinating; but much to my surprise, I found that, when framed with care, its arguments could be extraordinarily accessible.

I founded Theoria Center to bring these fascinating arguments, in their most accessible form, to senior living communities, where a lifetime of insight breathes new life into age-old questions. After all, an argument comes alive only when we engage with it — when we bring it to bear on our own life and analyze it through the lens of our experiences. Under these circumstances, philosophy is demystified. It becomes a source of joy, a conduit for discussion, and an opportunity to learn across generations.

Philosophy can be — and should be — so much more than reading foundational texts alone. Theoria Center presents philosophy as an activity we undertake together, animated by lives richly lived.

I hope you’ll join us in creating spaces where these conversations, and all the connection they invite, can unfold.

With gratitude,

Board of Directors

  • Dr. Jeffrey A. Fast

    DIRECTOR

    “Doc” has been a teacher and administrator in Independent Schools for 51 years. After graduating from Oberlin College, he served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines teaching English at both secondary and collegiate levels. He holds an M.A. from York University in Toronto and a Ph.D. from the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, England. Dr. Fast is an inductee into the Cum Laude society, former English department head and Director of Curriculum at Belmont Hill School, and recipient of the Byrnes Family Chair in the Humanities. He has visited Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai, and has taught English in Taipei, Shenzhen, and Japan. Married for over thirty years, he resides in a small town outside of Boston with his wife, three cats, and a shepherd named Maggie Mae.

  • Sofie Robinson

    FOUNDING DIRECTOR

    Sofie is an Amherst College student double-majoring in Philosophy and Law, Jurisprudence & Social Thought (LJST). She is a graduate of the Winsor School in Boston, where she was captain of the golf team, played keyboard in a rock band, and did far too much calculus. At Amherst, she continues to pursue music as a jazz combo pianist, music tutor, and member of the Marsh Arts House. Sofie is also a research assistant in the LJST Department and Treasurer of the Women in Law Society. She spends her free time teaching herself guitar and rooting for the Yankees in enemy territory (Boston). She is wary of Rousseau, spellbound by Arendt, and simultaneously captivated and frustrated by Wittgenstein.

  • Janet Sullivan

    DIRECTOR

    Janet has been a Massachusetts educator for 45 years and is experienced in teaching grades 7-12 specializing in science. She spent the first half of her career in the classroom, and then transitioned to leadership roles as the Science Department Chair and ultimately as the district’s K-12 STEM Curriculum Director. Janet currently works as an educational consultant focused on developing the next generation of educational administrators and teachers.