connecting through philosophy

 

We all have some assumptions about how the world works. Examining these assumptions is what philosophy is really about. We can often find ourselves in a black and white world, especially on social media. The club offers participants an opportunity to develop a more nuanced look at the world, in a form of an open enquiry with other participants. Although the topics can sometimes be serious, the tone of the meetings will be light and fun. The Philosopher’s Hat Club aims to bring delight in thinking together and thinking well. It also hopes to answer a need for people to connect during times where physical contact and movement is restricted due to the COVID virus.

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Participants do not need to have any philosophical background to join the club, only the willingness to engage in a meaningful conversation.

About the club

The Philosopher’s Hat Club invites participants to put their philosopher’s hat on, and once a month to engage in a meaningful and facilitated conversation, about the world we live in, with other participants.

 

The Club is a joint venture between Creative Together and Tertulia, a bookshop Like no other, and the initiative is supported by Spot Lit EU in association with the Western Development Commission.  

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The meetings are facilitated by Lukasz Krzywon from Creative Together (in Cong, Co. Mayo) and Brid Conroy from Tertulia bookshop (Westport, Co. Mayo).  Both share an interest in philosophy and philosophical thinking. Lukasz is a philosopher, author, and educator. He is passionate about teaching children how to think well and about introducing important ideas using philosophical enquiry into Irish classrooms. He has trained with the best facilitators in Ireland and the UK. Brid, whose background is also in philosophy aims, to make a positive contribution to the way the world thinks through Tertulia, a bookshop Like no other.  Pre Covid Lukasz and Brid organised several events at the bookshop on issues relating to Climate Change, Philosophy, and Poetry. Since the first lockdown, they conducted a successful pilot for conducting meetings online and now run monthly events for over a year.  

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Our club was recently featured in The Irish Times in Unthinkable column by Joe Humphrey.

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Code of Conduct:

• We are all co-creating a safe space for thinking together on interesting topics. Participation is voluntary.

• Our meetings are not debates. We are not here to win in the discussion but to enjoy it.

• Our meetings are not opinion forums. Support your claims with arguments that can be challenged by anyone in the group.

• Respect all participants. Listen attentively. Speak respectfully.

• Try to be concise and to the point. Make space for others.

• No verbal or written (chat) abuse will be tolerated.

• If anyone breaks the rules, the facilitators hold the right to block the person or ask the person to leave the meeting.

• If you’re not happy about any aspect of the meeting please write to contact@creativetogether.ie with short feedback on what happened, so we can learn from it and make the events better. 

Regular monthly events

Monthly events introduce a different topic each time. The club aims to make those as relevant to the world we live in today as possible. Many threads in classical philosophy are still as valid today as they were before. And there are many issues and problems facing today’s world that require a deeper reflection in search of new solutions. Each topic comes with a recommended reading list of interesting books.

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The club launched its first event on the 4th of February exploring the theme of happiness during extreme circumstances.  The events are held on Zoom. Participants are expected to have a working camera and microphone. Don't forget a hat!

 

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About next event

Oliver Burkeman in his book Four thousands weeks reminds us of the finite time we have and asks questions whether we can be more efficient with our time left and how